THE supply of Class A drugs into towns like Barrow is not a new phenomenon. The town has a history of trying to turn back the tide of hard drugs stretching back 30 years.

But the scale of organisation involved in the cross-boundary County Lines drug dealing makes it a uniquely tough enterprise for local police to crack. The perpetrators are often unknown to local police officers who tend to have a finely-honed radar for who is dealing what and where.

The difference in County Lines drug dealing is that the criminals involved have links extending deep into the major Metropolitan cities.

In short, these gangs have treated communities like Barrow with utter contempt – seeing them as a soft touch and a shortcut to a fast buck.

Make no mistake about it, those involved are intent on one thing only – profiteering at the expense of the most vulnerable in our community.

They give no thought whatsoever to the lives wrecked, the families destroyed and the loved ones lost to hard drug addiction.

Misery is their only legacy. They send footsoldiers to the town to gain people’s confidence, encourage them to rack-up big drug debts and then use strong-arm tactics to intimidate them into turning dealer. Police may never halt the market for illegal drugs – few forces can - but the effort which has gone into the battle must be recognised by all.