Oral Answers to Questions

Henry Smith Excerpts

Monday 28th October 2019 Commons Chamber

[David Duguid (Banff and Buchan) (Con)]

7. What steps she is taking to tackle county lines drugs gangs.

[Henry Smith (Crawley) (Con)]

18. What steps she is taking to tackle county lines drugs gangs.

[David Morris (Morecambe and Lunesdale) (Con)]

23. What steps she is taking to tackle county lines drugs gangs.

--- Later in debate ---

[Henry Smith]

Sussex police were recently in receipt of a Home Office grant to tackle county lines drug offences. Will my hon. Friend update the House please?

[Kit Malthouse]

My hon. Friend is a doughty defender of Sussex police and a great supporter, I know, of the brilliant police and crime commissioner there, Katy Bourne, who is doing a fantastic job. He is right that Sussex police have been in the forefront of the fight against county lines and have received significant funding of £900,000 through the early intervention youth fund and £1.3 million to support police operations in the area. I am happy to say that in the latest week of intensification of action against county lines, which I hope he noted the other week, Sussex police made 29 arrests and safeguarded 50 vulnerable individuals.