With an increase in County Lines drug gangs using the rail network to transport drugs from big cities to smaller towns, the British Transport Police and TransPennine Express are cracking down on this illegal activity, with their work shown on TV in the latest episode of The Railway 24/7
The fifth episode of the TV programme, The Railway 24/7, will be broadcast at 8 pm on Wednesday 15 July and will show how TransPennine Express is working to bring a stop to the rising issue of county lines drug gangs.
As number plate recognition cameras have become more successful at finding suspicious cars, more drug gangs are turning to the trains to transport illegal substances.
The episode will feature action at the Hull Paragon Interchange, where plain-clothed British Transport Police officers launch a sting operation to try to catch members of the gangs passing through the station.
Also in this episode, you can see how in just two months Dan has halved theft in the station and how he turned to playing Vivaldi through the tannoy to deter anti-social behaviour.
The documentary will also show officers using a knife arch at Manchester Piccadilly Station to stop anyone carrying an offensive weapon. While at York Station, Chris Short must deal with a wave of drunk and disorderly passengers.
Liz Collins, Interim Managing Director at TransPennine Express, said: “Working with the British Transport Police, we have cracked down on the number of county lines drug gangs using our network.”
“The safety of our passengers and customers at our stations and on our trains is of the upmost importance to us, and we will continue to work with the authorities to ensure we do everything within our power to continue to achieve this.”
“This episode in the documentary series is certainly full of action and suspense, and we hope viewers enjoy watching our team come down hard on anti-social behaviour across the network.”
Detective Superintendent Gareth Williams said: “Since December, British Transport Police has intensified its operations targeting County Lines. Our Taskforce, funded by the Home Office, has been carrying out operations almost daily across the railway network, including at Hull Paragon Interchange.
“These operations are designed to tackle the movement of drugs on the railway and safeguard vulnerable children who are often exploited or intimidated by gangs into couriering drugs.
“The railway industry has been invaluable in this regard, with train operators training their staff to spot key indicators of criminal exploitation.
“Key indicators include a young child travelling long distances, alone with a large amount of cash, or avoiding any sort of authority at stations. These indicators are small but invaluable and help inform where we target next. There is an evolving understanding of County Lines offending, and we are prepared to tackle it, wherever the intelligence leads us.”
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