Overview

• Home Office figures show more than 2,300 deal lines shut and 1,120 senior gang leaders charged in the 12 months to July, the highest annual charge total since 2019.
• Policing minister Sarah Jones vowed authorities will be relentless and pledged to go further in disrupting county lines networks.
• Targeted operations at transport hubs and expanded automatic number plate recognition capability were credited with driving arrests and line closures.
• The Crime and Policing Bill proposes offences for coerced internal concealment and child criminal exploitation with maximum 10‑year terms, plus a five‑year maximum for cuckooing, with the measures now awaiting Lords scrutiny.
• Charities including Barnardo’s and the Children’s Society urged protections so exploited children are treated as victims, as The Times reported an estimated 7,000 lines remain and senior police say the model is becoming more localised.