Pubdate: Fri, 31 Jan 2014
Source: Yorkshire Post (UK)
Copyright: 2014 Johnston Press New Media
Contact: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/contactus.aspx
Website: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2239

DRUG GANGS 'SPREADING WINGS' TO FIND NEW MARKETS

Gangs from London are increasingly "spreading their wings" to seek 
markets for drugs in other parts of the country, a Metropolitan 
Police officer has warned.

Officers believe as many as 54 of the capital's most dangerous gangs 
have "tentacles" in other towns and cities, operating in a similar 
way to business franchises.

The warning came a day after co-ordinated raids in the Thames Valley, 
Edinburgh, Essex, Bedfordshire and London in which 29 people were 
arrested in an operation targeting the south London-based GAS gang.

But the senior officer who speaks on gangs for the Association of 
Chief Police Officers said "significant headway" was being made in 
dealing with gang-related crime, with a decrease in gun and knife crime.

Deputy Chief Constable David Thompson of West Midlands Police said 
gangs had always relocated in search of opportunities to make money 
or in response to pressure from police on their home turf. He 
rejected suggestions that the situation in the UK could be compared 
with the problems experienced in the US.

Following Thursday's raids, Detective Chief Inspector Tim Champion, 
from the Met's Operation Trident gang crime command, said: "What we 
are noticing is that gangs are spreading their wings, so rather than 
working in London, they are going into the counties, and even 
Scotland, to deal drugs. So basically it's an expanding trade."

Mr Thompson told Today that organised criminals have "never really 
recognised boundaries".

"In my time in policing I have seen gangs relocate," he said. 
"Sometimes it's for chaotic reasons such as family reasons, but of 
course sometimes people will follow opportunities to increase 
opportunity for drug dealing, and of course if there's police 
enforcement in an area, they might think twice about relocating.

"There are occasional reasons why criminals will move into different 
areas. Of course, people trying to access firearms and drugs will 
work beyond police force boundaries. But you have to recognise that 
we are all creatures of habit, so relocating off into a new 
neighbourhood or new area is actually quite risky and quite difficult 
for a criminal to operate."

Mr Thompson said police had made progress in operations to deal with 
organised gang crime over recent years.

"I wouldn't minimise that there are still clearly risks around gun 
and knife crime we want to work harder on," he said.

"But if you think back over the last 10 years, with the headlines 
about young people being victims of gun and knife crime, those issues 
still happen but I think actually there's a significant success so far."
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