DISRUPTING AND DISMANTLING ORGANISED CRIME
It has been another year of progress in targeting organised crime gangs, taking apart their networks and putting members behind bars.
With specialist teams targeting the different forms that organised crime takes, it’s been a hugely successful year protecting communities and seizing ill-gotten gains.
During 2023, Lancashire were inspected by HMICFRS on Serious and Organised Crime who recognised the Constabulary as being ‘Good’.
The full range of powers is being used by Lancashire Constabulary, who are also working with local authorities and other organisations around the clock to ensure there is no let up on the pressure we place on criminal gangs.
Through local, regional and national partnerships, we’re sending the clear message that if you operate a criminal enterprise in Lancashire, officers will be breaking down your door and putting you in the cells.
2023/24 Highlights
Op Warrior
Since its launch in 2022, Op Warrior has continued to take the fight to organised crime throughout 2023 and 2024. The operation is dedicated to bringing more offenders to justice as well as stripping them of their cash, cars and other assets.
We’ve made significant strides in combating organised crime in Lancashire. Between November 2022 and December 2023, officers arrested 1,409 crime gang suspects and their efforts have led to the seizure of over 18,000 cannabis plants, 318KG of drugs, and more than £1.3 million in cash.
Op Warrior tackled crimes like drug supply, human trafficking, and cyber-crime. The public’s help in reporting suspicious activities has been essential to its success.
The supporting media campaign was awarded the prestigious Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) ‘Best Public Sector Campaign’ award for its success in engaging with the public to assist in the fight against serious organised crime by reporting suspicious activity.
Clear, Hold, Build
Organised crime is corrosive and harmful to the communities we serve. As a force, Lancashire carry out extensive activity to tackle and reduce criminality such as drug supply, exploitation and the wider antisocial behaviour that often follows. While we know the police play a key role in this activity, it is vital we work with the community and have their full support in order to create long-lasting change.
Clear Hold Build (CHB) is an innovative framework, developed by the Home Office, to help forces tackle serious and organised crime.
It reclaims and rebuilds neighbourhoods affected by organised crime, makes areas safer and increases public confidence in the police.
In 2023, Lancashire was one of seven pilot forces, with the three- step plan adopted in Fleetwood. It has seen organised crime nominals and their associates cleared from the area through relentless pursuit activity. The area is then held and stabilised through high visibility police patrols, assistance from partner agencies and community support (Prevent). With support from key stakeholders, residents will be equipped and empowered to build a strong and resilient community, free from crime and exploitation (Protect and Prepare).
The Office attended the partnership launch in September, with a community launch planned for Summer 2024. The framework has received widespread acclaim and helped reduce serious acquisitive crime and ASB in Fleetwood.
Project ADDER
Project ADDER (Addiction, Diversion, Disruption, Enforcement and Recovery), which recently reached its two-year anniversary, is a national programme designed to address drug addiction and tackle supply in the hardest hit local authority areas across England and Wales.
Since launching two years ago, Project ADDER has helped disrupt thousands of criminal gangs selling drugs.
In Project ADDER funded areas in Blackpool since July 2021, police have:
- Conducted 305 disruptions against organised crime groups.
- Made 443 arrests
- Seized £360,942.60 in cash
Coordinated police action has seen resources concentrated on some of the worst affected neighbourhoods with forces aggressively acting on intelligence.
These results show Project ADDER is having an impact. Funding from the Home Office is being used in the hardest hit local authorities to remove gangs who do not care for the substances in the drugs they are selling which can have fatal consequences.
Ridding streets of dangerous drugs is only one part of Project ADDER. Vulnerable people are supported by tailored programmes to coax them away from addictive substances. Every circumstance is different but under Project ADDER more people are getting the support they need, which is so important.
Project ADDER fosters partnerships between local councils, the police and charities to identify and encourage people in the community into treatment. Once there, drug users can receive therapy and drug rehabilitation.
Blackpool
David had recently been evicted from recovery housing after a relapse into Class A drug use and was rough sleeping. He was at high risk of drug-related death because of low tolerance, with significant wound care issues and often injecting alone.
Project ADDER staff and the Lived Experience Team (LET) used the ADDER outreach model to engage David in harm reduction discussions and facilitated rapid access to pharmacological treatment.
David was offered a co-ordinated, multi-agency package of care including access to therapy, physical health care and housing. Over the next six months, David became abstinent from illicit substances, gained a place in supported accommodation, accessed inpatient detox and residential rehab, followed by abstinence-based recovery housing.
David remains drug free and maintains contact with Project ADDER staff to keep them updated on his recovery journey – in David’s own word to his Project ADDER key worker:
“I couldn’t have got here without your support, probably saved my life, so yeah, so so grateful.”
Modern Slavery
The Pan Lancashire Anti-Slavery Partnership (PLASP), to which the Commissioner contributes, has been steadily expanding and uniting key stakeholders in our collective efforts to combat modern slavery across Lancashire. We’re committed to ensuring that businesses and local authorities are actively involved in recognising indicators of this crime and aiding in the police’s response.
PLASP has organised numerous roadshows, highlighted by the Freedom Bus initiative, to enhance public understanding of the complex issues surrounding human trafficking and contemporary slavery. These events are complemented by tailored training programmes for various groups, including new police recruits, PCSOs, contact centre personnel, NHS staff, members of the National Farmers Union, Street Pastors, and those in Colleges and Universities.
PLASP launched the Pan Lancs Anti-Slavery Pledge in February 2024.
The pledge aims to raise awareness of Modern Slavery amongst businesses and provided guidance on steps businesses can take to prevent it. Resources include an advice check list, posters, and training products.
No More Knives
The No More Knives tour, which engages with students with first hand stories from those involved in knife crime, visited thousands of students in Lancashire.
In March alone over 5,000 students across Preston engaged with the sessions, provided by the Message Trust.
Deputy Andy Pratt MBE visited one of these, seeing how storytelling, music and education are having an impact on preventing knife crime and outlining how it devastates lives.
The No More Knives tour provides a clear, powerful message around the consequences of knife crime, and it was great to see performers who have real, lived experience, using their skills to make clear the dangers of carrying a knife.
County Lines
The Commissioner has continued to support Lancashire Constabulary, the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) and the National Crime Agency as they work to tackle county lines related crime in Lancashire.
In March 2024, Lancashire Constabulary took part in a dedicated national County Lines Intensification Week. As a result, 17 arrests were made across East Lancashire alone, as well as cash seized totalling over £148k.
Weapons and suspected Class A and Class B drugs were also recovered during the week and officers and staff took part in several protection and prevention activities. These included educational school and youth group visits to young people and inputs with parents who were encouraged to make themselves aware of the signs of exploitation.
There has been increased safeguarding for children and adults who have been, or were at risk of, being exploited by serious organised criminals. This has been achieved through effective partnership working with our Genga network, the Pan-Lancashire Anti-Slavery Partnership, the Violence Reduction Network and by running effective intensification weeks such as Operation Aident and County Lines intensification weeks.
Op Sceptre
Operation Sceptre is a national targeted week of action that sees Lancashire step up the fight against knife crime.
In November 2023 the seven-day operation saw the Lancashire Violence Reduction Network working with partners including Lancashire Constabulary to proactively tackle knife crime.
This intensification to remove dangerous weapons from our streets includes weapon sweeps, knife arches in public places and transport links, surrender bins, education talks, targeting habitual knife carriers and test purchasing.
During the week, Lancashire were successful in:
- Recovering 1,112 knives that had been surrendered in knife bins across the county
- Carrying out 289 stop searches, 30 of which led to an arrest and 6 recovered a knife
- 44 weapon sweeps in intel-led locations
- Engaging with 99 schools to promote education and prevention
- 62 diversion visits
- Visiting 32 schools and youth clubs to promote the location of local knife bins
- Carrying out 42 test purchases at retailers – 10 failed by selling a bladed article to Under 18s. These have been given a warning by Trading Standards.
The carrying of knives is not acceptable and whilst education around the dangers is important, targeting offenders and getting their weapons removed from our streets has to continue to happen.
Cracking down on those who carry dangerous weapons is vital to keeping our streets safe. Each knife that is confiscated by the police, or surrendered at a designated place, is one less potential victim.
Fraud Investment
Since April 2023, the number of officers in the Economic Crime Response Teams has been doubled to better protect Lancashire residents from online threats.
Rental Scam
In 2023, Lancashire Police were made aware of a “Rental Scam” circulating on social media whereby properties were advertised for let. Eager would-be tenants met with a fraudster in and around Preston handing over cash to secure their tenancy in return for a tenancy agreement and a key. The rental property turns out to be fake and in many cases the victim has already relinquished their existing rental tenancy in the process, so they end up homeless and out of pocket having paid cash to the fraudster. Lancashire Police identified a number of victims affected by this Fraud. A suspect was arrested and later charged, convicted and sentenced to 5 years in prison at Preston Crown Court.
In October 2023 Lancashire was hit with a series of “Courier Frauds” in the East of the County whereby elderly victims were targeted by telephone fraudsters claiming to be from the Police and that their bank accounts were at risk. They were told to withdraw money and purchase high value items such as Rolex watches and hand them over to a courier to “assist with the Police investigation”. This is a high harm fraud type that targets some of the most vulnerable members of our community. Lancashire Police quickly identified a vehicle used by one of the couriers whereby it was later stopped on the motorway network leaving Lancashire and the driver arrested.
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What you have to say is important to us. If you would like to comment on the work of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire you can write to:
The Office of the PCC for Lancashire
County Hall Preston
PR1 0LD
Email: commissioner@lancashire-pcc.gov.uk
