A new team in Salford have today launched their operation to tackle ‘cuckooing’ in the city following the murder of Leigh Smith.
Cuckooing is a practice whereby criminal gangs take over a vulnerable person’s home in order to sell or store drugs.
Leigh Smith was one such victim of the ‘brutal’ practice after he was stabbed to death in Eccles in June 2021.
READ MORE: The staggering drugs empire of £7,000 a week cuckooing gang led by 17-year-old gangster turned murderer
His teenage killers, Jacob Cookson, age 18, and 17-year-old Logan Eaton, were sentenced yesterday.
Cookson will serve at least 19 years behind bars, with Eaton facing a minimum 17-year stretch.
Now, after the murder of the 48-year-old dad, Salford Connect is tackling cuckooing head-on — with police appealing for information from potential victims and their neighbours to find more people in need.
The team is a partnership dedicated to protecting those at risk of criminal exploitation with agencies from the police, Salford City Council and the NHS.
Already, 12 people have been supported under the Operation Firestop banner.
It has allowed those to start life afresh outside of the city after speaking out about their fear and anxieties about the conditions they were subjected to.
Offenders typically would coerce their victims into allowing them in their homes before gradually taking it over.
Cuckooing victims also usually are subjected to violence, intimidation, and abuse.
Detective Superintendent Chris Packer, Salford's lead for safeguarding and vulnerability, said: "Salford Connect is a really important multi-agency response to the issues of criminal exploitation in the city as we are working with a range of different partners to understand how to identify the signs of this type of criminality and how we can best support vulnerable people who may be victims of it.
"The tragic death of Leigh Smith really brought to the surface how brutal and, ultimately, fatal cuckooing can be and through Operation Firestop we have already been able to identify 12 people who were being preyed upon due to their vulnerabilities that we have now successfully safeguarded and been given the chance to turn their lives around elsewhere outside of Salford.
"When it's happening, it may appear to neighbours to sound like a disturbance or nuisance in the community; but, actually, when groups of people are routinely gathered in stairwells or causing unwanted noise in a block of flats, it's possible that what is actually going on is cuckooing and that a vulnerable person's property is being targeted by drug dealers and criminal exploiters.
"This causes those targeted to feel intimidated, uncomfortable and scared, and we know that they may find it difficult to come forward as victims are often drug users exploited by dealers; however, those that are preyed upon should know we understand how awful this crime is, we understand their vulnerabilities, and we understand they are victims - we will support you."
Anyone with information or concerns should contact police online - if able - via www.gmp.police.uk or call 101. Always call 999 in an emergency.
Details can be passed anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
