The Home Office has described it as the “best year on record” for its county lines programme, which was created in 2019 to tackle gangs using children and vulnerable people to run drugs from cities to small towns.
New Home Office figures reveal the number of knife murders across the UK has dropped by 27% in two years.
Overall knife crime has been cut by 10% and more than 1,900 knives were removed from the streets in the same time span.
Meanwhile, in the 2025 to 2026 period, 2,833 county lines were closed and 7,381 people were arrested – with the Home Office saying this is the “best year on record” for its county lines programme.
The initiative was created in 2019 to tackle gangs using children and vulnerable people to take drugs from cities into small towns.
Exploitation victim Mark, in his late 30s, had ulcerated legs from drug addiction and faced homelessness when men offered him money to sell drugs on the street.
In a statement collected by The Salvation Army and issued by the Home Office, he said: “At first, I thought they were my friends. I was so desperate, I believed they were helping me by giving me this job.
“They made me work from 8am to 2am the next day, every day. They stopped me getting methadone to come off the drugs or medical help for my legs.
I was in a really bad way but it was impossible for me to get to hospital. Every day they pushed me deeper and deeper into debt.”””
source: https://news.sky.com/story/knife-murders-in-uk-drop-by-a-quarter-as-county-lines-crackdown-has-best-year-on-record-13562142