Tory cuts have made it easy for County Lines drug traffickers

Responding to the National Crime Agency's report on the spread of 'county lines' drug traffickers, Bedford Boroughh Liberal Democrat police and crime spokesperson Councillor Sarah Gallagher said "When children as young as 12 are being exploited by drug gangs, the Conservative Government's approach clearly needs to change. We need to stop both the supply and demand of illegal hard drugs."

Sarah added "Unnecessary Tory cuts to the police have made it easier for organised criminal networks to spread; cuts to the Border Force have made it easier for them to traffic illegal drugs and weapons into the UK; and cuts to youth services have made it easier for them to prey on young people. That's why the Liberal Democrats demand more community police officers to prevent gangs from operating, more Border Force officers to stop drugs and weapons entering the country, and more youth services to keep children out of the grip of criminal gangs. But we must also treat the addiction that fuels demand for these drugs. Rather than simply being locked up, drug users should be diverted into evidence-based treatment programmes and given the support they need to get off drugs."