Man arrested and knife and suspected drugs recovered in Bootle

We have arrested a man and recovered as knife and suspected class A drugs as part of a pre-planned County Lines operation in Bootle this afternoon (Friday 13 August).

At around 2pm officers on patrol on Park Lane West signalled to a vehicle, a black Ford Kuga, to stop but it continued.

Following a short pursuit, the vehicle was abandoned on Eden Vale.

Officers on foot located the driver, a 33-year-old man from Netherton, hiding behind some wheelie bins.

He was detained by officers and was found to have concealed wraps of white and brown powder in his mouth.

A knife and a screwdriver were also recovered close to where the male was detained.

The man was subsequently arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving, failure to stop, possession with intent to supply Class A drugs, drug driving and possession of an offensive weapon.

He will be taken into custody and questioned by police.

No injuries were reported during the incident but two vehicles were damaged during the pursuit.

Superintendent Graeme Robson said: “County Lines drug dealing blights communities, the lives of those taking drugs and those who are often coerced into dealing them on behalf of organised crime groups. Today's arrest is just one example of the work we carry out, day in, day out to target those involved in County Lines and bring them to justice.

“We will not hesitate to take effective action when we suspect a high-risk driver who is likely to cause harm to others on the road.”

“Thankfully, the incident this afternoon has seen suspected drugs be prevented from reaching our communities. No criminal should profit from the misery drugs bring while our wider law abiding communities work hard to earn an honest living.

“Our officers also recovered a weapon which can now no longer be used to cause fear and harm in our communities.

“If you have any concerns about drug, drug driving or knife crime in your community, please come forward, either directly or anonymously and we will take action to make our streets safer.”

If you have information on drug dealing, knife crime or County Lines activity in your community please contact us on 999 if a crime is in progress, or pass information via @MerPolCC on Twitter, ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ on Facebook, or the independent charity @CrimestoppersUK anonymously on 0800 555 111. You can also contact them via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information.