Boy, 14, arrested after alleged drug supply at Salisbury school
Investigation at Bishop Wordsworth's after suspected drugs activity among a number of pupils
Last updated 23rd Oct 2021
There's been a Police investigation after an incident involving Class A drugs and students at Bishop Wordsworth’s Grammar School in Salisbury.
Wiltshire Police say they're working closely with the school and local authority after allegations of drugs activity among a small number of pupils.
In a statement a spokesperson for Wiltshire Police said:
"Last month a 14-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of being involved in the supply of Class A drugs and has since been released under investigation."
"It would be inappropriate to comment further on this specific ongoing investigation.”
Stuart Smallwood, Head Master at Bishop Wordsworth's School, told Greatest Hits Radio Salisbury:
"The only additions I would make are that as far as the school is concerned the investigation is now closed and we have followed our Behaviour & Discipline Policy throughout. All parents have been written to (some time ago now) and we will be continuing to work hard, with all of the Wessex Partnership Schools to ensure that school is a safe place to be."
The revelation at Bishop Wordsworth's comes after our investigation this week found children as young as seven are being recruited by gangs operating sophisticated drug supply chains across the country known as 'County Lines' operations, where dealers target new areas to sell Class A drugs.
The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has insisted the government is committed to protecting youngsters from these ruthless gangs.
Often the dealers use children and vulnerable people to carry cash and substances, after grooming them with gifts or threatening them with violence.
Mr Johnson has said the government is working on combatting these with County Lines gangs:
"The only thing you can do is come down incredibly hard on the kingpins. You arrest people, you arrest the hell out of them."
"You've got to put the steal around the cities and the towns that are being inflicted by the County Lines drug gangs and that's what we've been doing, but you want to offer hope to the kids as well."
On Thursday (21 Oct 2021) it was announced more than 130 so-called County Lines had been shut down by Police forces across the UK, as part of a week of action.
More than 2,000 young people were identified as part of those operations, with work now underway to ensure they are safeguarded from gangs in the future.