County Lines Programme data
Updated 3 June 2025
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To deliver our pledge to halve knife crime in the next decade and take back our streets, it is crucial that we tackle the gangs that lure children and young people into crime and run county lines through violence and exploitation.
Our estimates suggest that approximately 14,500 children were identified as at risk or involved in child criminal exploitation in 23/24, and we know this is likely to be a significant underestimate on the scale of the problem.
County Lines is the most violent model of drug supply and a harmful form of child criminal exploitation. It is strongly linked to violent offending, including knife crime and violence against women and girls.
Through the County Lines Programme, we are targeting exploitative drug dealing gangs whilst breaking the organised crime groups behind this trade. It also provides specialist support for children and young people to escape county lines and child criminal exploitation.
In addition, the programme includes investment in law enforcement intensification, primarily focused in the 4 police force areas from which the majority of county lines originate (referred to as ‘exporter forces’) and in the British Transport Police.
These figures have been collated using self-reported management information from individual forces and the National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC). Figures have been quality assured by forces, however they may be subject to improvements and change.
County Lines Programme Taskforce results
The County Lines Programme Taskforces refer to the Metropolitan Police Service, Merseyside Police, West Midlands Police, Greater Manchester Police and British Transport Police.
Since July 2024, delivery under the County Lines Programme by these taskforces up to March 2025 has resulted in:
- 1,225 county lines closed
- 808 line holders charged
- 2,038 individuals arrested
- 2,192 individuals referred by police to safeguarding partners
During this period, County Lines Programme taskforces also delivered an additional 223 ‘Type 2’ line closures, bringing the total number of lines closed by taskforces to 1,448.
County Lines Programme Surge Fund results
The County Lines Programme Surge Fund is an additional funding stream for other forces in England and Wales that are not already receiving dedicated funding from the County Lines Programme to support operational efforts to tackle their local county lines threat.
Since July 2024 up to March 2025, delivery through the County Lines Programme Surge Fund has resulted in:
- 498 county lines closed
- 612 line holders charged
- 3,278 individuals arrested
- 748 individuals referred to safeguarding
During this period, the Surge Fund also resulted in an additional 117 ‘Type 2’ line closures, bringing the total number of lines closed through the Surge Fund to 2,063.
Summary of information
In total, since July 2024 up to March 2025, law enforcement activity conducted through the County Lines Programme resulted in 2,063 line closures (1,723 ‘Type 1’ and 340 ‘Type 2’ line closures), 5,316 arrests (including 1,420 line holders charged), and 2,940 safeguarding referrals.
Figures reported
Type 1 line closures
Type 1 line closures refer to the closure of a county line through the arrest and charge of a line holder. NCLCC determines when a Type 1 line was closed by using evidence that the controlling gang is no longer capable of distributing drugs using that telephone number, with check backs to ensure the telephone number remains out of use.
Type 2 line closures
Type 2 line closures refer to the closure of a county line through the deactivation of a phone line/number/SIM associated with the line.
Arrests
The number of arrests refer to arrests made through police activity that can be attributed to the County Lines Programme i.e. those that would not have happened in the absence of County Lines Programme funding.
Individuals referred for safeguarding
The number of individuals referred for safeguarding are defined as those that were referred as a result of County Lines Programme-funded activity to specialist support providers or statutory safeguarding partners i.e. those that would not have happened in the absence of County Lines funding.
Line holders charged through line closures
Line closures under the county line programme include the charge of a line holder. However, some line holders control multiple county lines, so one line closure does not necessarily equate to one line holder charged. This statistic captures the total number of line holders charged through the County Lines Programme Taskforces.
Historic County Lines Programme data
For an overview of the results of the activity of the County Lines Programme since its launch in November 2019, see the National Archives.