COUNTY LINES
SAFEGUARDING THE VULNERABLE
Sergeant Gail Hurley from Lincolnshire Police highlights the increasing exposure of children and young adults to crime in rural areas. By Nicola Tait
There has been an increase in the exploitation of vulnerable children and young adults as networks of drug dealers, known as county lines gangs, approach young people to help distribute drugs. The dealers operate by preparing, storing
and distributing drugs to local young people, so they can move and sell in the area. Usually, they form networks in cities, but this activity has spread into rural communities. By branding drugs with names such as the A1 Line, the Milo Line, and the Reco Line, the gangs make the products look attractive to consumers and secure regular usage. Manipulation tactics include coercion and persuasion of young victims until they eventually become drug dealers. These criminals have no emotional attachment to their victims, making it easy to inflict abuse. We spoke to Sergeant Gail Hurley from
Lincolnshire Police about the increasing exposure to children and young adults in rural areas such as Lincolnshire. “County lines is a drug dealing network, where drugs get transported from one place to another – it doesn’t have to be from one county to another, it can be within the same county,” she explains. “Generally, they are from the larger areas, like the West Midlands, London, Greater Manchester, and Merseyside, and suddenly it gets to a point where they’ve maybe got a good hold on their area, or perhaps getting pushed out, and they think: ‘we’ve got this lovely quiet suburb next door, we can exploit and push people into those areas’.” Sgt Hurley says that finding people to help is easy for networks: “In county lines and gangs, there are a lot of similarities – it’s usually about finding disaffected young people who don’t feel like they belong anywhere.” “Maybe they have had some issues at
home, nobody understands them, and they haven’t got any respect from anyone,” she continues. “They’ve yet to establish a real
38 | POLICE | APRIL 2023
presence anywhere, then all of a sudden, somebody listens to them and gives them nice things, like trainers, making them feel like they have a purpose. Before the individual is aware, they have a debt bond.” Enforcing taxes keeps vulnerable victims locked into networks, sometimes arranging for drug runners to be robbed of
The National Police Chiefs’ Council
“County lines and gangs usually find disaffected young people who don’t feel like they belong anywhere”
the packages at drop-off points – this puts victims into debt with the network. “The young person is now in debt because they were in charge of the drop- off and they’ve gone for been robbed, so the outstanding money needs to be repaid – the victim has to keep working, but interest is applied, ensuring the debt is never indeed paid off.” Sgt Hurley says violent methods are used on victims: “Intimidation and the threat of violence are prevalent within county lines’ strategies – one method is humiliation stabbing, which isn’t to kill; the wound is made on a particular area on the body, sometimes the face, so others easily see it.”
states that boys aged between 13 and 14 are the main demographic targeted by gangs, but networks may use females, as they are less noticeable. Another tactic to move drugs is using a so-called cuckoo who stays on a property of a drug user or vulnerable person, visits them for a week or two, and is introduced to their friends. This helps networks spread the word about drug availability and cheaper prices for high quality drugs, creating a good reputation
for themselves. “Though Lincolnshire is not the worst hit by county lines, because we are rural, there are many places to hide,” she continues. “We still have intelligence that lines are going into the area. We are working with surrounding forces and third parties to gather and distribute information and help safeguard vulnerable individuals.”
In 2019, the Government set up a
campaign to fight the gangs – 5,727 individuals have already been referred by police to safeguard.
For more information, go to:
www.childrenssociety.org.uk
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