Over recent months, local drug dealers and wider “county lines” networks have been exploiting children and using them as drug runners. They are also selling the substances to young people in schools, some as young as 12.

Officers have also appealed for help from the public.

What’s the problem?

“County lines” is when urban gangs supply drugs to suburban areas using dedicated mobile phone lines, and this is happening in Surrey.

Dealers exploit vulnerable members of our communities – such as those with drug or alcohol dependency, young people, or those with mental health issues – to transport and sell drugs. The most common drugs are cocaine and heroin as well as ecstasy, cannabis and amphetamines.

Older individuals tempt children with large sums of cash, mobile phones, drugs and alcohol. Once a child is part of a gang, it can be extremely difficult to leave. Sometimes, they are violently assaulted or threatened with the fear of violence.

A Surrey Police Drugs Raid

What are Surrey Police doing about it?

It is running proactive operations across the county to deter and disrupt these offenders.

In Woking, teams use proactive stops, searches and arrest warrants to target criminals bringing drugs and knives into the area. At the forefront of our response to this issue is working with partners to assist those in most need of our help.

Proactivity by officers has so far led to of arrests and charges. Officers found 35 bags of cocaine on one man in Woking. He has been charged with possession of a class A drug with intent to supply.

After a foot chase with officers, a man in Woking was arrested and charged with possession of a class A drug with intent to supply.

Three consecutive planned warrants in Woking led to the discovery of large quantities of class A, B and C drugs and cannabis plants. Four people were arrested and released under investigation.

We are engaging with schools in Redhill to educate young people on the dangers and consequences of drugs and gangs. The public will see increased police presence around certain areas and joint police and school patrols have been operating after school with teachers.

Officers are proactively deterring criminals travelling from outside the county under Op Viking, which has been in operation since late 2016 to disrupt cross-county border drug dealing and associated violence across East Surrey. So far the team have secured more than 184 years’ custodial sentences for all convictions under this initiative

Detective Superintendent Kerry Haddleton, Force lead for Drug Related Harm, said: “Many drug users don’t realise where the drugs they take have come from and the harm caused to vulnerable people, their families and the economic environment. By buying drugs the user is funding serious and organised crime, with children are often being exploited and forced to transport and deal drugs. If you don’t think your use of drugs is having a wider effect, think again.

“Gangs, exploiting children and vulnerable people to deliver and deal their drugs is totally unacceptable. We take this issue seriously and want to show dealers out there that in no way will drug dealing be tolerated.

“I would like the public to be assured that we will continue to work with our partners and neighbouring forces, to tackle these issues proactively and robustly with an aim to disrupt and dismantle the supply of drugs in Surrey.

“But we can’t do this without the help of the public so I am asking you to help and come to us with tangible information on drug dealing in your area. If you have real concerns then call us on 101 or report anonymously via Crimestoppers.”

David Munro

PCC David Munro said: “We must not allow these criminals to exploit young or vulnerable people in our county and get a foothold in our communities. That is why I am wholeheartedly behind the Surrey Police #DealWithIt crackdown which I hope will tackle this growing menace.

“My office is working closely with Surrey Police to provide any help we can to those policing teams focused on targeting the activities of drug dealers. But we also need the public to help by being our eyes and ears and providing any information that can assist police in disrupting this criminality.”

If you have information about suspected drug dealing or crime in your area, please either contact Surrey Police via www.surrey.police.uk or by calling 101.

If you don’t want to speak to Police, you can call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555111. They never ask your name or trace your call and you could earn yourself a reward.

What are the signs of potential drug dealing?

• Lots of visitors, who don’t stay very long, arriving at all times of the day and night
• People waiting in cars outside particular properties exchanging small packets or cash
• Lots of visitors bringing items such as TVs or bikes but leaving empty-handed
• Lone/vulnerable neighbours suddenly having groups of young men living at their address.

What we want to know

• Time, date and place
• Vehicle registrations and the make, model and colour
• Descriptions of people and details of what they were doing
• Direction they travelling to and from
• How many times you have seen them? Is it always at the same time of day?

Don’t put yourself at risk while gathering this information. Please always pass the information to the police and do not confront or approach suspected drug dealers.