As part of work by the Home Office to raise awareness of ‘county lines’, promotional posters are now available to download and display, to help frontline staff spot the signs of potential victims, and what to do next.
County lines gangs use children and vulnerable people to courier drugs and money – this is how it typically works:
• A group establishes a network between an urban hub and county location, into which drugs (primarily heroin and crack cocaine) are supplied;
• A branded mobile phone line is established in the market, to which orders are placed by introduced customers;
• The group exploits young or vulnerable persons, to achieve the storage and/or supply of drugs, movement of cash proceeds and to secure the use of dwellings;
• The group or individuals exploited by them regularly travel between the urban hub and the county market, to replenish stock and deliver cash;
• Intimidation, violence and weapons, including knives, corrosives and firearms are often used.
Locally, the University of Suffolk has carried out research and published a report, into local county lines, initially focusing on the Jubilee Park and Nacton Road areas of Ipswich, where residents and agencies had become increasingly concerned about the levels of crime, youth gang activity, drug dealing and distribution and the possible exploitation of children and young people. However, the scope was widened to cover Ipswich as a whole to ensure the full picture was understood.
Tim Passmore, Suffolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner said: “This report for me is a very serious call to arms to work together across all agencies, communities, businesses and the voluntary sector to support our young people at risk of becoming embroiled in the gang and drug culture. No one agency can solve these problems on their own; we need to pool resources and focus our attention to make a real impact. Personally I will do everything I possibly can to ensure the action plan that comes out of this research is a resounding success and the work must start now.”
Download the Home Office posters here.
Read more on the University of Suffolk county lines research here
Norfolk & Suffolk Criminal Justice Board 