Nearly 140 'county lines' drugs arrests in Harrogate District in six months
Police say Operation Expedite will continue over the coming months.
Nearly 140 arrests were made in the Harrogate District in the last six months of 2020 - by police tackling county lines drug dealing.
Of those, nine people have been jailed for a total of almost 23 years for drugs offences.
Police say Operation Expedite - to tackle county lines dealing across Harrogate and the Dales - will continue over the coming months.
The ‘County’ Operation Expedite team are based in Harrogate but also cover the districts of Craven, Richmondshire and Hambleton. They work alongside other Expedite teams based in York and Scarborough. Their main focus is ‘county lines’ drug dealing but they also target other crimes that have persistent patterns, for example a spate of burglaries or thefts, to support their neighbourhood policing colleagues.
They carry out proactive patrols, on foot, in vehicles, in uniform, or plain clothes, constantly keeping a look out for suspicious activity and known suspects.
Detective Sergeant Tom Barker, from the Operation Expedite team, said: "“Drug dealing and the exploitation it brings remains a key priority for North Yorkshire Police and these arrest figures help to demonstrate this.
“Although there are no figures that show the harm and fear that is experienced by people who are exploited and drawn into the often dangerous world of drug dealing.
“As well as disrupting criminals, our work is also about protecting vulnerable people. We can’t do that alone and our close work with partner agencies is vital to getting them the help they need. From housing to help with a drug or alcohol addiction, it’s important that the people who need it are given help and those who exploit them are brought to justice.
“Information from members of the public is also key in helping to shape operational activity. So please don’t thing you are ever wasting our time by calling something in. Just because we don’t come tearing down the road with blue lights on, doesn’t mean we are not using your information.
“Drug supply investigations can take a long time, and the more evidence we have, the sooner we can act and take another dealer off the streets.”
Superintendent Steve Thomas, Commander for the Harrogate, Craven, Richmondshire and Hambleton areas, added: “I am incredibly proud of the work being done every day by Operation Expedite staff and their colleagues who support them across the district. They have faced the risks of operational policing in a time of unprecedented challenges throughout the pandemic and continue to do so.
“However, this is not a time to rest on our laurels and I want to reassure the local residents across the district that we will be working even harder over the coming months to make Harrogate a very hostile environment for those who think it’s ok to make money exploiting vulnerable people and ruining lives.”