We’re coming to get you, warns Inspector Heather Sutton, district commander for Newark and Sherwood after Nottinghamshire Police relaunches operation

Public we need you, drug dealers, we are coming for you ­— that’s the message from a police chief at the relaunch of an operation to tackle County Lines drug running in Newark and Sherwood.

County Lines operate when city gangs send lower-level dealers, sometimes children, into rural towns to swamp it with class A drugs such as heroin and crack cocaine, taking over the homes of vulnerable people to turn them into drug dens.

Nottinghamshire Police has re-launched Operation Vow in Newark and Sherwood to target such gangs, believing they have returned following the end of the first national lockdown.

Inspector Heather Sutton, district commander for Newark and Sherwood, said Newark had been targeted before and there were signs ­— including a rise in thefts and burglaries ­— that drugs were increasingly available again.

Inspector Sutton said officers were in the intelligence-gathering stage and urged the public to report any concerns.

“Public we need you, criminals who deal in misery, we are coming for you,” she said.

“The lockdown did have an impact on County Lines as drug dealers were forced to return home and there were restrictions on travel.

“In our areas we saw drug dealing return to more traditional methods with local and established drug dealing.

“However, drug lords are changing their tactics and will go to great lengths to make money.

“I am aware of ‘click and collect’ type services, vulnerable people being forced to move drugs in other areas while purporting to be key workers and the use of social media to groom vulnerable people.

“That is why we are launching Operation Vow Three.

“Previous operations were very successful and we have a number of individuals still in prison on the back of enforcement activity.”

The original Operation Vow, set up in 2018, had great success with members of a sophisticated ring known as the Newark Drugs Line jailed for more than 70 years.

Inspector Sutton said officers were well into the first phase of the operation ­— intelligence gathering ­— of which the public had a vital role to play.

Phase two would be enforcement ­— seeking and locking up drug dealers, and also identifying and safeguarding vulnerable people who are potential victims of criminal exploitation.

There is support out there for victims of County Lines exploitation and the police work alongside housing, mental health and drug use support services to reduce vulnerabilities and help prevent future exploitation.

l Anyone with information, or to report suspicious behaviour, call Nottinghamshire Police on 101, report it to the Reacher team, or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.