A National Operating Model: Proactive Policing and Strong Data
County Lines criminality remains one of the most damaging and complex threats facing communities across the UK. Violence, exploitation, cross border offending and the targeting of vulnerable young people all have a significant impact on communities. Confronting this scale of harm requires more than local enforcement, it demands a nationally coordinated, proactive and intelligence driven response.
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Cross‑Case Search in CSAS V3.16: Faster Insight, Smarter Connections, Zero Rework
In digital investigations, crucial intelligence often sits within small but significant overlaps — a reused IMSI, a familiar IMEI, or MSISDNs that surface across multiple cases. Historically, identifying these links has meant manual cross‑referencing, repeated searching, or digging through old casework by hand.
The National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC) is the driving force behind that response. Their proactive, unified operating model brings together local forces, partner agencies and safeguarding specialists to dismantle drug lines, protect victims, and strengthen communities.
One of NCLCC’s greatest strengths is the central coordination and Home Office funding that supports it. By coordinating intelligence and operational activity across force boundaries NCLCC ensures that drug lines cannot exploit gaps between regions or inconsistencies in approach.
Turning Digital Data into Key Lines of Enquiry
Today, County Lines investigations are driven as much by digital insight as physical intelligence. Digital data is vital in county lines investigations and identifying key lines of enquiry at speed is essential.
That’s exactly why the majority of County Lines task forces uses CSAS.
Hidden in digital data sources such as communication data records, ANPR and telematics data lies information on who controls a drug line, vulnerable individuals, how drugs are moved, associations and the value of the drug line. CSAS analyses this complex, high-volume data into evidentially robust intelligence at pace.
It is within this strong operational environment that CSAS delivers maximum impact through:
Faster Case Resolution
CSAS processes and interprets digital data rapidly, providing investigators key lines of inquiry that accelerate tactical decisions and operational planning.
Advanced Analytics
CSAS identifies behavioural patterns, significant locations, volume of calls and associations that would otherwise take weeks to uncover.
Drug Line Analysis
Investigators can develop evidence‑based assessments of the potential financial value of a drug line, considered alongside the wider evidential context of the investigation, to support a credible guide for the court. The CSAS Drug Line query is the only tool that has been tested and proven all the way to the court of appeal as a reliable method of analysing the traffic on a drug line.
Operational Confidence
All outputs meet evidential standards, providing officers the assurance needed for effective disruption, safeguarding and prosecution.
Digital Insight to Safeguarding
A key focus of NCLCC is protecting those most vulnerable to criminal exploitation. Digital data plays a vital role in identifying:
Young people coerced into holding, delivering or storing drugs
Victims of violence, intimidation or debt bondage
Adults at risk used as cuckooed property occupants.
The coordination of the County Lines programme via NCLCC is having a clear impact. Between July 2024 to September 2025 law enforcement activity conducted through the County Lines Programme has resulted in:
3,042-line closures
8,226 arrests (including at least 1,614-line holders charged)
4,323 safeguarding referrals
622 children and young people have also received support from the dedicated County Lines specialist support service in that time.
West Yorkshire Police: A Standout Example
West Yorkshire Police recently earned an ‘Outstanding’ HMICFRS rating in recognition of their specialist capability, strategic focus and commitment to protecting communities.
A recent proactive operation in Pudsey saw two arrests, contributing to the following results since the operation began in October:
72 arrests and 143 charges
7.5kg of Class A drugs seized
£150,000 in criminal assets recovered
50+ drug lines closed
43 vulnerable people safeguarded
These outcomes highlight how proactive policing and digital led enquiries enables targeted disruption, protects those most at risk, dismantles organised crime groups and delivers visible improvements for communities.
Building National Capability Through Continuous Professional Development
While CSAS plays an important role in supporting NCLCC’s mission, it is the proactive approach and the people behind it who truly drive these outcomes.
Forensic Analytics is proud to support their continuous professional development (CPD) engagement events. These sessions bring together officers, analysts, safeguarding teams and partner agencies to share best practice, advance skills, and build stronger national coordination. By maintaining regular CPD activity NCLCC ensures that insight, expertise and effective approaches are consistently shared nationally.
NCLCC continues to raise the bar for the national County Lines response, delivering proactive, intelligence led policing with safeguarding firmly at its core. Forensic Analytics is pleased to play a part in this.
Together, we are helping protect communities, reduce harm, and enhance public safety.