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Weekly update. |
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Dear Residents and Local Businesses, here is your weekly update from your local neighbourhood Policing Team, Stoke and Wyken. Activity Officers have been actively patrolling ASB hotspots as well as local parks and shops in the Stoke and Wyken area, it's been great to see so many friendly faces don't forget to say hello when you see us around! Our green spaces always include Caludon Castle Park, Stoke Green, Barras Heath, The Lindfield, Tick Tock Park, Wyken Croft Nature Park and parts of the River Sowe. Monday the 2nd marks the start of County Lines week - County lines is the name given to drug dealing where organised criminal groups (OCGs) use phone lines to move and supply drugs, usually from cities into smaller towns and rural areas. They exploit vulnerable people, including children and those with mental health or addiction issues, by recruiting them to distribute the drugs. This is often referred to as ‘drug running’. Criminals may also use a vulnerable person’s home as their base of operations. This is known as ‘cuckooing’.
Signs to look out for There are several signs to look out for that may indicate someone is involved in county lines: repeatedly going missing from school or home and being found in other areas having money, new clothes or electronic devices and they can't explain how they paid for them getting high numbers of texts or phone calls, being secretive about who they're speaking to decline in school or work performance significant changes in emotional or physical well-being Social media Criminal networks use social media to groom and recruit children for county lines. They may send them direct messages (knowns as ‘DMs’),or share messages to wider groups as ‘stories’ or ‘posts’. Ways OCGs use social media advertising drugs through photos, emojis, and price lists posting statuses that show money, new drugs or when a dealer is open for business dealers sharing ‘stories’ to followers, and using social platforms to expand their network with ‘suggested’ friends tricking people with ‘fast cash’ scams, which is often referred to as ‘squares’. Victims may end up working for no little or no money, which is known as ‘debt bondage’ advertising for ‘workers’ or ‘runners’ to recruit people into county lines activity using hashtags linked to drugs using emojis as code for drug, violence and sexual activities, eg the snowflake emoji (for buying cocaine), 8-ball emoji (for buying an eighth of an ounce) or the rocket emoji (for purity of drugs) Cuckooing OCGs often use high levels of violence and intimidation to protect the ‘county line’ and control them. One of these forms of control exploits vulnerable people by using their home as a base for dealing drugs, a process known as cuckooing. Dealers often convince the vulnerable person to let their home be used for drug dealing by giving them free drugs or offering to pay for food or utilities. Often OCGs target people who are lonely, isolated, or have addiction issues. It's common for OCGs to use a property for a short amount of time, moving address frequently to reduce the chance of being caught. For more information, including signs to look out for, read our guide on cuckooing. Missing persons linked to county lines Children and young people involved in county lines may go missing or be out of touch for long periods. During these times, they may be at risk of harm or violence. If you are reporting a child as missing, you should look out for signs they may be getting exploited. You should note: transport they may be using people they may be with people they may be in contact with You can seek additional support from Missing People's SafeCall service, which is dedicated to those impacted by county lines.
Arrests Officers have had two arrests this week, one of which concluded after a foot chase where a male was found to have a large number of class A drugs and cash on them.
Class A drugs include: cocaine crack cocaine ecstasy (MDMA) heroin LSD magic mushrooms methadone methamphetamine (crystal meth) Class B drugs include: amphetamines barbiturates cannabis codeine gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB) gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) ketamine methylphenidate (Ritalin) synthetic cannabinoids synthetic cathinones (for example mephedrone, methoxetamine) Class C drugs include: anabolic steroids benzodiazepines (diazepam) khat nitrous oxide (laughing gas) piperazines (BZP) You can get up to 7 years in prison, an unlimited fine or both.
Nature Watch We do not have any nature watch stories this week unfortunately, however we value the stories you share with us, and we will continue to share these with the community when we have them. Thank you all for showing interest in this particular segment, rest assured there will be many more to follow.
Events coming up:
Community Pact Meeting - Upper Stoke 6:00PM - 7:00PM, Fri 29 May 2026 Stoke St Michael's Church, Coventry
Community pact meeting - Lower Stoke 6:00PM - 7:00PM, Wed 20 May 2026 Coombe Social Club, Brinklow Rd, Binley, Coventry CV3 2HY Live Chat | West Midlands Police (west-midlands.police.uk) Please be aware that this inbox is NOT monitored 24 hours a day and is purely for non-emergencies. In an emergency please call 999. To report a crime in a non-emergency situation please call 101 or visit Report a crime | West Midlands Police to do this online. 📞 How to Contact Us or Report Information 📞 Non-Emergency: 101 Emergency: 999 / 112 (if crime in progress or immediate danger) Report Online: West Midlands Police Anonymous Reporting: Crimestoppers Kind Regards, The Stoke & Wyken Neighbourhood Policing Team | ||||
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