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The criminal exploitation of children and vulnerable adults through what is referred to as the ‘County lines’ model is a growing concern across the UK. Gangs and organised crime networks have developed methods to groom and exploit some of the most vulnerable members of society – including young children – to help sell and distribute drugs from urban hubs into more rural and coastal areas, where the levels of policing may be less intensive than in metropolitan areas. What is ‘County lines’? The term ‘County Line’ was initially coined to mean the mobile phone line used to order illicit drugs from a supplier which are then delivered directly to the user. This definition has since been expanded to describe the business model deployed by drug gangs and organised crime networks seeking to expand their catchment area away from major cities to smaller towns and villages which were previously difficult to penetrate. Gangs will often recruit young children and teenagers as ‘runners’ to transport and sell the drugs to customers, thus distancing themselves from the type of activity likely to attract police attention, but at the same time exposing their ‘runners’ to significant risk of violence, sexual exploitation and arrest in the process. |
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What is the Impact of County Lines to the UK? A recent study has suggested that there could be more than 1000 lines operating across the UK, whilst investigators have said a typical “line” can generate between £2000 to £3000 per day for the organised criminal gangs (OCG) operating the network. The National Crime Agency (NCA) estimates that nationally, the County Lines network represents a £500 million pound industry. Tackling the problem comes with many challenges, the biggest of which being the need to identify those at the top of the chain – a task made all the more difficult when the most visible members of the operation are young children, coerced into a life of criminal activity through fear and a constant threat of violence. Gangs deliberately target children who are viewed as ‘vulnerable’ – whether this is due to poverty, living within the care system, experience of childhood trauma (ACEs), excluded from school or experiencing poor mental health – indeed, the Children’s Commissioner recently found gang associated children were 77% more likely to have an identified mental health need than other children assessed by children’s services. |
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A report by the NCA in 2017 highlighted that as the County Lines model relies on the trafficking of vulnerable young people from their home towns to work in remote areas – whilst others are being ‘falsely imprisoned in their own homes, which have been taken over (cuckooed) using force or coercion’ – the police have increasingly been targeting gang members using the trafficking and slavery offences found in the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
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Under section 2 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, it is an offence to arrange or facilitate the travel of another person with a view to that person being exploited, and anyone who uses children or vulnerable people to distribute drugs across counties could therefore face being charged with a human trafficking offence – the maximum sentence for which is life imprisonment. In addition, because their crimes involve children, they also face the possibility of having their name added to the sex offenders register. In 2020, The Children’s Society reported that there has also been an 807% increase in children referred for support by councils in relation to modern slavery (Children’s Society, 2020). |
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How can we support the victims of criminal exploitation through County Lines? In January 2021, in response to the recommendations put forward in Dame Carol Black’s Independent Review of drugs, the government announced £40 million of dedicated investment to tackle drugs supply and county lines. This funding was built upon the success of existing initiatives and has helped to reinforce the shift in attitude that sees children and vulnerable adults as victims of exploitation, rather than perpetrators. The National Referral Mechanism is a framework for identifying and referring potential victims of modern slavery so that they can receive the appropriate support. Services that work with Children and Young People (CYP) and vulnerable adults can refer individuals to the NRM using an online form. In 2020, more than 10,000 potential victims of modern slavery were referred to the NRM. |
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| The County Lines model is directly responsible for an increase in violence on our streets, including homicides. It is important to understand, therefore, that the term ‘County Lines’ refers to a complex phenomenon that goes far beyond the supply and demand of illicit drugs – the deliberate use of children – or ‘clean skins’, a term used to denote an individual without any prior criminal convictions – exposes thousands of vulnerable people to horrific violence and daily threats and entraps them in criminal activity from which they feel powerless to escape. As the complex grooming process behind recruiting ‘runners’ becomes more apparent, and the focus of the police and the courts to prioritise those higher up the chain, the methods of the criminal gangs will continue to evolve to circumvent these tighter restrictions. For this reason, it remains vital that all services tasked with supporting CYP and vulnerable adults continue to collaborate with each other, share information so we can continue to meet the challenges of this devastating epidemic. |
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How can ILLY help? The challenges faced by vulnerable people continue to increase but it’s through shared experiences and approaches that we can all improve our communities. ILLY have recently onboarded Catch 22 – a service dedicated to building resilience and aspiration in people and communities – and that have recently begun delivering a dedicated County Lines and Gangs Service across Kent. This new service is specifically designed to prevent vulnerable young people falling victim to criminal exploitation and support them to execute a safe strategy to exit gangs. The service will seek to discuss and provide mentoring to prevent repeat incidents of serious violence and gang association. If you have any questions or would like to find out more, please get in touch with our Client Services Team and we’ll be happy to help. |