Police launch 'cuckooing' operation to stop vile criminals preying on the vulnerable after brutal murder

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

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