County Lines crackdown delivers record year for gang arrests and knife seizures

The government has announced a record year for County Lines enforcement, with more drug supply networks dismantled, gang leaders prosecuted and dangerous weapons seized than at any point since the programme began.

Data released on Saturday shows that in 2025 alone, 2,740 County Lines were closed, 1,657 gang leaders were charged and 961 knives were taken off the streets. Since the general election, the cumulative totals stand at 3,785 line closures, 2,175 gang leaders charged and 1,229 knives seized.

The figures were accompanied by confirmation of more than £34 million in new funding for the County Lines Programme this year, including over £28 million ringfenced for policing through the Police Funding Settlement. The money will support intelligence-gathering operations, targeted raids, drug seizures across the transport network and efforts to ensure phone lines used for drug deals are permanently shut down.

Crime and Policing Minister Sarah Jones said: "We are shutting down more criminal lines, busting more gang leaders and seizing more dangerous knives off our streets than ever before. I will not rest in the relentless pursuit of these horrific criminals that leave a trail of violence and exploitation in their wake."

Plan to halve knife crime

The announcement comes ahead of the launch on Tuesday of a new government strategy titled "Protecting Lives, Building Hope", which will set out plans to halve knife crime within a decade. The strategy is expected to focus on early intervention for young people, diverting those at risk away from knife crime, and strengthening enforcement against perpetrators.

The County Lines Programme has already been credited with a 25 per cent reduction in hospital admissions for stabbings in key exporter areas, equating to more than 800 fewer stabbings each year. County Lines operations involve gangs running drugs from metropolitan cities into smaller towns, frequently exploiting children and vulnerable adults to transport narcotics and weapons.

Intensification week results

The latest results follow what was described as the most successful County Lines Intensification Week to date, held from 2 to 8 March, which involved forces across England, Wales and Scotland. In that single week, police closed 355 lines, made 2,180 arrests and safeguarded 1,348 people.

Detective Superintendent Dan Mitchell, head of the National County Lines Coordination Centre, said: "As County Lines gangs' methods evolve, our policing approach does too. We remain committed to pursuing high-harm County Lines and those controlled by violent drug dealers, so that we can prevent harm, protect children and vulnerable adults, and disrupt criminal activity."

New criminal offences

The government is also introducing new legislation through the Crime and Policing Bill to strengthen the legal framework around County Lines and child exploitation. Measures include:

• A new child criminal exploitation offence to prosecute adults who criminally exploit children
• New court orders designed to prevent exploitation before it occurs or stop it recurring
• New offences targeting "cuckooing" — the practice of taking over a person's home to deal drugs
• A specific offence covering internal concealment, where individuals are forced to conceal drugs inside their bodies

Naomi Hulston, chief executive of Catch22, which delivers the national County Lines Support Service, warned of concerning trends: "Across our services we have seen a worrying trend of younger victims and an increasing impact on girls and young women, so collaborative approaches are even more vital."

Kathy Betteridge, director of anti-trafficking and modern slavery at The Salvation Army, welcomed the investment but urged continued focus on long-term support: "For future investment to succeed, it must continue to prioritise early intervention, trusted relationships and long-term support to protect people from harm and help them build safer futures."