Cash seized from crooks will be used to help youngsters escape the clutches of County Lines gangs exploiting them to sell drugs in communities in Gwynedd.

Tackling serious and organised crime will be a priority for the special £40,000 fund set up by North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones with the support of North Wales Police and the North Wales Police and Crime Trust.

Half the money will be contributed by the commissioner with the rest coming from a pot of cash confiscated from criminals via the Proceeds of Crime Act.

The aim of the Your Community Your Choice scheme is to recycle the ill-gotten gains of villains for positive purposes.

As a result, two community groups in each county in north Wales will receive up to £2,500 each whilst there will be two £5,000 grants available for organisations working across three or more counties in north Wales.

The window for groups to submit applications opens for a four week period on Monday, 11 November, with the winners being chosen by a public vote.

Commissioner Jones, a former police inspector, said: “The focus of this year’s Your Community Your Choice fund is to counter the threat to our communities coming from drug gangs from the urban areas, using or exploiting young people to deal drugs in our communities. The aim is to build up resilience in communities to resist this threat, and to resist organised crime groups infiltrating our towns and villages and exploiting and coercing vulnerable young people to deal in drugs.

"Essentially, we are talking about the scourge of the County Lines gangs. North Wales Police has taken great steps in addressing the County Lines issue, and identifying those responsible, and actually taking the gangs out. We’ve had some great successes in taking organised crime groups.

“But our communities need to play their part in reporting this to Crime Stoppers who can be contacted anonymously by ringing 0800 555 111.

“What better way than using the proceeds of crime than helping communities build resilience amongst their own young people.

“There is an element of poetic justice in using money obtained through crime to address the problem of crime in our communities.

“Addressing County Lines is one of the major priorities in my Police and Crime Plan so it all fits together. Reducing the criminal exploitation of young people is the umbrella priority in my plan and County Lines is at the centre of that.”

The opening date for applications is 11 November and they must be returned by email to

[email protected] by 5pm on the closing date of 6 December.

For more information go to the North Wales Police website www.north-wales.police.uk or the commissioner’s website www.northwales-pcc.gov.uk or ring 01745 588516.