Plea to end mobile phone anonymity to tackle drug crime

A crisis summit was held between police, social services and Cannock Chase Council's community scrutiny committee this week to crack down on drug smuggling.

Councillor Phil Hewitt, vice chairman of the committee, brought up the issue of mobile phone anonymity and asked the police what can be done to trace dealers using mobiles.

The councillors were told it can be difficult to trace pay-as-you-go mobiles and decided to write to the Government asking for mobile phone anonymity to stop.

Just last month 12 people were jailed and 13 arrested as part of a week targeting County Lines activity in Staffordshire.

Staffordshire Police said the groups use vulnerable young people, often aged 14 to 24, to traffic the drugs after deals are agreed remotely through a mobile or 'line'.

Councillor Maureen Freeman, who is an ex-police officer, said issues with county lines and children being exploited by drugs gangs were highlighted, but that

She said: "It was an excellent meeting, it was an eye opener for councillors.

"From my point of view I understand the police have a difficult job, yes it is happening in our district but the police are well aware and are working in partnership to tackle the issue."

Councillors will consider the issues before coming forward with suggestions.

Chief Inspector Sarah Wainwright, commander for the Cannock Chase Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “Staffordshire Police has made great strides tackling county lines activity, with some notable results in the past 12 months.

"As soon as it became clear that drugs were being brought into the Cannock area from other areas of the country, my neighbourhood officers worked proactively with teams across the force and local and regional partners to implement a plan.

"This plan focused on targeted, intelligence-led enforcement against drugs supply coming into the area and identified what support was needed for those vulnerable people who are exploited or manipulated into the supply of drugs.

“Within the first three months of this coordinated approach being instigated officers have arrested 25 people on suspicion of possession with intent to supply and recovered heroin on 13 occasions and cocaine on 12 occasions. Two key suspects have also been sentenced to over nine years in jail and there are more cases currently going through the judicial process.

“County lines is a national issue, not unique to Staffordshire, and is not something that can be fixed overnight. However we are committed, alongside local and regional partners, to tackling both the criminal elements of county lines and the root causes that lead to vulnerable people becoming involved. We have already made positive steps forward and we remain committed to tackling this activity in future."