Crimestoppers launch campaign to support Project Unity in Buxton

The charity Crimestoppers has launched a campaign in Buxton and across Derbyshire to highlight signs of serious organised drug crime and to encourage communities to pass on concerns anonymously.

Vulnerable individuals in the town have been highlighted as being at risk from exploitation by criminal gangs involved in 'County Lines' drug supply. This is where illegal drugs are transported from one area to another, often across police and local authority boundaries (although not exclusively), usually by children or vulnerable people who are coerced into it by gangs.

These gangs take over homes, using them as bases for drug dealing, or entice residents with promises of easy money, designer clothing, drugs, alcohol or other ‘free gifts’.

Derbyshire Police is encouraging people to report any suspicions about their neighbourhood through Crimestoppers as part of Project Unity, a long-term partnership campaign of action to target serious and organised crime affecting our communities.

The initiative supports the national Clear, Hold, Build approach which aims to: clear out dangerous crime gangs; hold the area to prevent new rival drug gangs appearing; and build community resilience.

Detective Inspector Kane Martin, of Derbyshire Constabulary's Criminal Exploitation Team, said: "We are working closely with Crimestoppers and other partners to target the criminal gangs who exploit our communities and cause serious harm. We locally launched Project Unity last year to tackle the issues we’re facing in Buxton and this follows the long term ‘Clear, Hold, Build’ approach.

“We need the public’s help to identify and report any signs of organised crime activity, such as cuckooing, exploitation and violence. You can do this safely and anonymously through Crimestoppers, who will pass on your information to us. Together, we can make Derbyshire a safer place for everyone."

The campaign shares information in English, Albanian, Polish and Romanian and focuses on keeping communities safe by empowering people to report information on crime 100 per cent anonymously to Crimestoppers. The charity is independent from the police. They can also take crime information in over 150 different languages.

Lydia Patsalides, East Midlands Regional Manager at Crimestoppers, said: “We are very aware that drug gangs use violence and intimidation to coerce individuals into carrying out their dirty work. This level of exploitation often leads to people feeling they have become trapped and not knowing how to get out.  

“We are asking the public in Buxton and across Derbyshire to remain vigilant to the signs of grooming and the three grooming stages of ‘targeting, testing and trapping’. We are also appealing to everyone to help protect vulnerable members in our community from the harm caused by County Lines activity. Please tell our charity anonymously what you know and we’ll pass it on for you.”

Any suspicions about serious violence, organised drug gangs and weapons can be passed to Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555 111 at any time or by completing a secure online form at Crimestoppers-uk.org.

Alternatively, young people can visit Fearless.org to learn more about the warning signs of County Lines activity.

Fearless offers young people non-judgemental advice so they can make informed decisions about lifestyle choices and realise that they have an alternative option when reporting crime.

With Fearless.org and Crimestoppers-uk.org computer IP addresses are never traced and no one will ever know you contacted them.

For telephone calls to Crimestoppers via freephone 0800 555 111, they have no caller line display, no 1471 facility and have never traced a call.

You can read more about the background to Project Unity here: https://www.derbyshire.police.uk/news/derbyshire/news/news/forcewide/2023/july/campaign-to-drive-out-organised-crime-is-launched-in-buxton/