Home News Crime Closure order on property linked to County Lines

Closure order on property linked to County Lines

31 January 2019

Officers in Swindon have successfully been granted a closure notice for a town address associated with drug dealing.

The closure order for the property on Queens Drive was issued by Swindon magistrates on Monday 28 January and relates to reports of anti-social behaviour at the address linked to County Lines drugs’ gangs.

The order makes it an offence for anyone to be in the address other than those who live there. It will be in place initially for three months but can be extended to six months; anyone who breaches this will face a sentence of up to three months in prison.

PCSO Phil Day, Community Co-ordinator for the area, said: “This order represents a joint approach from Wiltshire Police and Swindon Borough Council to prevent and disrupt the supply of controlled drugs and also protect vulnerable people.

“There has been a significant amount of activity surrounding this address and our aim is to protect local residents from this type of behaviour.

“We will continue to work together to use this legislation across the borough whenever it can be justified.”

Councillor Cathy Martyn, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Public Safety, said: “This Closure Order is part of our ongoing efforts to disrupt the County Lines drugs network.

“We will continue to work closely with Wiltshire Police to ensure that our residents are protected and these criminal gangs are unable to operate.”

If you suspect your neighbour or someone in your community is being exploited by drug gangs, or you are suspicious of any activity locally, please contact police on 101; if you wish to remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.