How police plan to bring down Cheshire’s crime gangs

Organised criminal activity involves a wide range of crimes including theft, drug dealing, money laundering, human trafficking, modern slavery and possession of firearms.

As of September 18, it was confirmed there are 180 individuals linked to organised crime groups in Cheshire – with 27 organised crime gangs operating across the county.

In addition, there are up to 40 business across Cheshire that are linked to organised crime.

The ‘criminal enterprises’ commonly operate through ‘county lines’.

It involves the use of a mobile phone, the ‘line’, by groups to extend their criminal activity business into new locations, often setting up secure operating bases in houses.

Each ‘county line’ is estimated at being worth £30,000 – and, alarmingly, can be sold onto another gangs.

But residents have been reassured that the multi-agency approach in place will bring the criminals to justice.

Cheshire Police’s head of crime Aaron Duggan said many of the people the force encounters are ‘trapped’.

“Breaking the cycle of serious organised crime they are caught up in is very difficult,” he said.

“Predominately, people are trapped through crime.

“The fact is that some of the challenges are around reputations – it might be a family or group of people who have a reputation in a community, or on an estate, and people are in fear.

“There is also an element of control around vulnerability.

“We see that when encountering county lines teams operating across Cheshire – they will target vulnerable people, including youngsters and disabled people.

“They might go into someone’s house and force their way into a property.

“They would then base themselves in that property and could deal drugs from there, which is known as cuckooing.”

Although gangs are operating across the county, detective chief superintendent (DCS) Duggan insists the issue is a national problem, rather than being unique to Cheshire.

He also calmed fears over the impact of cuts to the police budget.

“The public is not at risk because of austerity but it does present more of a challenge for us,” he said.

“It is about where we put our resources.

“We will focus our efforts where the greatest threat is – we are targeting our resources in the right area.

“We have to keep moving forward, we have to be innovative and put ourselves on the front foot.

“We will not tolerate this but we need the public to continue supporting us by giving us key information, which can be done anonymously, so we can build intelligence and, ultimately, help keep vulnerable members of the community safe.”

Despite the significant range of worrying criminal enterprises taking place, DCS Duggan has no doubt that those responsible will be caught and locked up.

He said: “Through organised crime, people are forced, coerced and manipulated into dealing drugs for organised crime groups.

“We know we can’t tackle this problem on our own.

“We have to work with other partner agencies and local authorities to ensure we carry out our duty to safeguard people.

“You see families involved in petty crime to start with and it soon becomes organised – to a point where they are almost legitimate, and the legitimate business is then the front to launder money.”

But DCS Duggan is calling on the public to be aware of any unusual activity.

He said: “Communities tolerate organised crime predominately through fear.

“People are involved in organised crime to make money, so the challenge is to educate the public that if something doesn’t look right or doesn’t feel right then it probably isn’t right.

“I want to reassure the public that where we know it exists, we are doing something about it.

“If we are going to break this cycle of organised crime, we need to do everything in our power to make it hostile for them to operate so we can protect the most vulnerable in society.”

Cheshire’s police and crime commissioner David Keane has also issued a warning to gangs.

He labelled organised criminal activity as ‘wrong on so many levels’.

“How dare these criminals come into Cheshire and start to try and undermine the fabric of our society,” he said.

“It is difficult enough for people in our communities without having these drugs rings set up, which provide more drugs in an easier to obtain format.

“We have to tackle it and we have to dismantle it – and dismantle it we will.

“There is a lot of work going on at local, regional and national level to build intelligence and take out these criminal structures.

“I am wholly behind the activities of the constabulary, our regional organised crime unit and the National Crime Agency, who are working very hard to eradicate this criminal activity.

“We are working, more than ever before, with our council partners to try to tackle the problem because we are mindful of the fact we can never just enforce our way out of this.”

Furthermore, Mr Keane highlighted the importance of looking out for those who are vulnerable to prevent them from getting ‘trapped’.

He added: “The people recruited in county lines are commonly as young as 15, they are being employed by criminal gangs with massive risks.

“It’s not always young people who are coerced into this type of activity, gangs may also take advantage of vulnerable and elderly people who have a property where they can operate their drugs rings from.

“Some of the knives, guns and weaponry associated with this activity demonstrates exactly what extent people will go to protect themselves and avoid detection.

“They think they are clever and above the law but they are not actually that clever and they will be infiltrated.

“We will go as far as we can, so they get the custodial sentences they deserve for these crimes.

“I want to encourage people who care about their community and think things are going on that don’t seem quite right, to report this, confidentially through Crimestoppers if they wish.

“We treat every bit of information seriously.”

You can call Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555 111.