County Lines - keeping our families safe

County lines drug network is where gangs, groups of drug networks supply drugs from urban to suburban areas across the county, including market towns, coastal areas, rural locations, using dedicated mobile phone lines or “deal lines”. These are referred to as “county lines” as they link one county to another within a drug network. A frightening but common feature in county lines drug supply is the exploitation of young and vulnerable children, of all ages. The dealers will frequently target children and adults, sometimes targeting individuals with mental health issues, to act as drug runners or to move cash so they can stay under the radar of law enforcement themselves. The gangs themselves try to stay out of the eye of law enforcement, so they use tactics such as coercion, gift bearing, creating false friendships. Sometimes violence and intimidation to minimise resistance to the gang’s drug dealing activities and exploitation.

As a parent there are lots of things to worry about as our children venture out into the world. At school, in the playground, walking home, all of these places can make children vulnerable and easier to approach without parental supervision. It’s a sad reality that young children, vulnerable young adults are often targeted as they can be naïve, easily coerced, easily exploited or intimidated. Often sexual exploitation is used. 
 
There are a number of tactics that the gangs use to entice children into working alongside them within the county lines gangs including: 

- Giving expensive gifts – e.g. the latest trainers, fashion items, games consoles, mobile phones 

- Creating false friendships - often the be-friendlier is a lot older than the child they are trying to exploit 
- Threatening families – children given ultimatums – help us or we’ll hurt your family 

- Being promised to make a lot of money for simple tasks e.g. running parcels that contain money or drugs on trains to other counties 
 
There are some common signs that could indicate your child is involved, these are some of the main things to look out for as a parent:  

Please don’t think that County lines gangs limit their targeting to children and young adults. The elderly can also be targeted, single mothers, street workers, addicts of all kinds are also targeted and used to make particular County lines successful. After the Covid-19 pandemic, furlough, redundancies and tough financial times there is more of an incentive to get involved, especially as sometimes money is given as a sweetener to let gangs use homes as a base centre. 
 
For the elderly they may employ something called cuckooing. This is a form of crime in which drug dealers take over the home of a vulnerable person in order to use it as a base for drug dealing. Victims of “cuckooing” are often drug users but can include older people, those suffering from mental of physical health problems, female sex workers, single mums and those living in poverty, but rest assured any one from any background can be involved, willingly, or not. 

More often than not these gangs who take over homes, keep themselves to themselves in an attempt to stay off the radar of local communities. If you have a concern for a neighbour please do speak with the police, 111 or Crime stoppers. They may really need their help. You can also speak to our enforcement team at Connexus, or report a safeguarding concern on our website.