IN THE NEWS
TAXI AND PHV DRIVERS HELP SPOT SIGNS OF ‘COUNTY LINES’ GANGS
Taxi drivers and staff working for train companies
have
been asked to keep an eye out for vul- nerable
children
who may have fallen victim to violent drugs gangs. As reported in the Daily Echo, reports of brutality connect- ed to such gangs are spiralling in Dorset. A shooting and a mutilation are among the horrors reported over the past year as dealers from London and
Liverpool push
heroin and cocaine in the county’s towns. Now cabbies and bus drivers have been asked to help spot the signs of criminal exploita- tion. Superintendent Caro- line Naughton said: “Young, vulnerable people are often transported across our counties using public
including
transport trains,
buses, taxis or PHVs. “We are asking taxi
drivers, rail staff and bus company staff to spot the signs of county lines ex- ploitation and look out for these vul- nerable
young
people. “If they spot any- thing which makes them suspicious, such as children travelling alone on public transport, pos- sibly during school hours, or being unfa- miliar with the local area, they should report it to us.” Gangs operate so-
FIVE LONDON CABBIES TO LOSE 25 STONES FOR CHARITY improving
every
A group of five Lon- don cabbies, known as Cabbies Do Kili- manjaro, are delight- ed to announce that Be Military Fit (BMF) will give them a year’s free training and support to help them get fit and shed the pounds. They are on a year- long mission to shed 25 stones and climb Kilimanjaro in Sep- tember 2019 raising £20,000 for The Taxi Charity for Mili- tary Veterans Bear Grylls says “Huge respect to
6
these incredibly ten- cious cabbies! I love their drive for the mission. and am proud to be sup- porting these guys in their training. It’s going to be a trans- formative journey for them and I can’t wait to see how they get on. Never give up!” John Dillane, one of the cabbies says: “The
hour-long
training sessions are certainly very hard work but it is doing me so much good and my fitness is
week. I have already lost two stone and with the help of BMF I hope to have lost another four stone before September 2019.” To donate visit
www.justgiving.com/ undraising/cabbies dokilimanjaro Be Military Fit with Bear Grylls applies whether you are new to fitness or a seasoned athlete. You’ll find your local BMF
class at:
www.bemilitaryfit.com BMF is offering a 20% discount to all cabbies choosing to take out BMF month- ly memberships. To donate to the taxi charity please rvisit
www.taxicharity.org
called ‘county lines’ in Dorset. The prac- tice sees gangs from large cities use chil- dren to carry drugs to smaller towns. The issue is an increasing concern in the county, with many neighbour- hood policing teams listing it as one of their top three prior- ities. Dorset’s police and crime commissioner Martyn Underhill said “even as a for- mer police officer” he has been left “shocked” by county lines violence. “It is a problem which ruins lives. Not only does it bring the scourge of drug dealing into our towns, but the gangs who operate these networks are absolutely ruthless in the way they exploit young and vulnerable people,” he said. “It’s a growing prob- lem, and one the police simply cannot tackle on their own. We need the sup- port of everyone who cares about our communities, and that’s why we’re asking members of the public to be our eyes and ears and to contact the police if they see anything that doesn’t look right. “The information that they provide could help bring gang members to justice and turn around the lives of those young people they have coerced into work- ing for them.”
Some of the signs of ‘county lines’ involvement and exploitation are:
• A child or young person going missing from school or home or significant changes in emotional well-being
• A person meeting unfamiliar adults or a change to their behaviour
• The use of drugs and alcohol • Acquiring money or expensive gifts they can’t account for
• Lone children from outside of the area • Individuals with multiple mobile phones, tablets or ‘SIM cards’
• Young people with more money, ex- pensive clothing, or accessories than they can account for
• Unknown or suspicious looking charac- ters coming and going from a neighbour’s house
• Relationships with controlling or older individuals or associations with gangs
• Suspicion of self-harm, physical assault or unexplained injuries
Those who have concerns are asked to “trust their instincts” and report their sus- picions to police online or by calling 101.
MARCH 2019
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