County Lines

What are County Lines?

‘County Lines’ is a term used when drug gangs from big cities expand their operations to smaller towns, often using violence to drive out local dealers and exploiting children and vulnerable people to sell drugs.

  • Dealers will use dedicated mobile phone lines, known as ‘deal lines’, to take orders from drug users. Heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine are the most common drugs being supplied and ordered. In most instances, the users or customers will live in a different area to where the dealers and networks are based, so drug runners are needed to transport the drugs and collect payment.

  • County Lines can effect anyone particularly if they are using drugs themselves. Dealers often target and exploit children, young people and other vulnerable people often using violence to drive out local dealers and sell drugs around the country.

  • A common feature in county lines drug supply is the exploitation of young and vulnerable people. The dealers will frequently target children and adults – often with mental health or addiction problems – to act as drug runners or move cash so they can stay under the radar of law enforcement.

    In some cases the dealers will take over a local property, normally belonging to a vulnerable person, and use it to operate their criminal activity from. This is known as cuckooing.

    People exploited in this way will quite often be exposed to physical, mental and sexual abuse, and in some instances will be trafficked to areas a long way from home as part of the network’s drug dealing business.

    As we have seen in child sexual exploitation, children often don’t see themselves as victims or realise they have been groomed to get involved in criminality. So it’s important that we all play our part to understand county lines and speak out if we have concerns.

  • Becoming involved in drug dealing may not be something you think could happen to you or your friend but it does happen so its important to understand the signs that may indicate you or your friends are being targeted or are involved in a county line.

    -Are they always going missing from school or their home?

    -Are they travelling alone to places far away from home?

    -Do they suddenly have lots of money / lots of new clothes / new mobile phones?

    -Are they receiving much more calls or texts than usual?

    -Are they carrying or selling drugs?

    -Are they carrying weapons or know people that have access to weapons?

    -Are they in a relationship with or hanging out with someone/people that are older and controlling?

    -Do they have unexplained injuries?

    -Do they seem like they have something to hide?

    -Do they seem scared?

    -Are they self-harming?

  • An increase in visitors and cars to a house or flat

    New faces appearing at the house or flat

    New and regularly changing residents (e.g. different accents compared to local accent)

    Change in residents mood and / or demeanour (e.g. secretive / withdrawn/ aggressive/ emotional)

    Substance misuse and/or drug paraphernalia

    Changes in the way young people might know dress

    Unexplained, sometimes unaffordable new things (e.g. clothes, jewellery, cars etc.)

    Residents or young people you know going missing, maybe for long periods of time

    Young people seen in different cars / taxis driven by unknown adults

    Young people seeming unfamiliar with your community or where they are

    Truancy, exclusion, disengagement from school

    An increase in anti-social behaviour in the community

    Unexplained injuriesription

  • The best advice is to trust your instincts. Even if someone isn’t involved in county lines drug dealing, they may be being exploited in some other way, so it’s always worth speaking out.

    You can speak to your local police by dialling 101, or in an emergency 999.

    If you would rather remain anonymous, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

    If you notice something linked to the railways, you can report concerns to the British Transport Police by texting 61016 from your mobile. In an emergency dial 999.

    If you are a young person who is worried about your involvement, or a friend’s involvement in county lines; a good option is to speak to an adult you trust and talk to them about your concerns.

    You can also call Childline on 0800 1111. Childline is private and confidential service where you can talk to specially trained counsellors about anything that is worrying you.

    Alternatively, speak to a children and young people’s service like Catch 22. They work with children and young people of any age to help get them out of situations they’re worried about, and have helped lots of children and young people involved in County Lines. You can call them on: 0808 168 9698

Further Support

CATCH 22

Catch 22 works to prevent and stop Child Sexual Exploitation Wirral Missing from Home and Child Exploitation Service Works with young people under 18-years-old across The Wirral who are missing from home or care, or experiencing or at risk of child exploitation.

Young people 10 to 18-years-old | Within a 30-mile radius of the Wirral.

Catch 22’s Missing from home helpline is manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week: 0808 168 9698

This service works alongside young people, their families and the police to find out what has caused them to run away and prevent them from running away again in the future. 

Help is provided for young people who have run away who are at risk of becoming involved in crime to survive, from stealing to criminal gang involvement, drug and alcohol misuse, mental and sexual health issues, exclusion from school. and failure to meet educational milestones.

Links & Contacts

Wirral Youth Justice Service Prevention Work

YJS prevention work is completed on a voluntary basis with young people aged 10 to 18 years who are involved in Anti-Social or Offending Behaviour.

Who is eligible and how can I make a referral to Prevention Services?

In order to be eligible for support young people must be involved in either 1,2, 3 or 4:

1 - Persistent high level ASB (consider checking with Wirral Anti-Social Behaviour Team)

2 - Behaviour which could have resulted in a prosecution (including regularly carrying weapons)

3 - Violence on parents/carers

(if this is the key issue then please contact Tim Collins 666 4918 for the referral form for this service)

4 – Concerning

(not harmful) sexual behaviour (those committing harmful sexual behaviour should be referred on the Changing Futures referral form and should contact Ann Ainscough or Patricia Wootton via our main number 666 3466

Additional Factors

School Factors – NEET, Exclusion or Risk of, Very low school attendance

Drug / Alcohol use impacting life chances

Peers or Family committing offences / Risk of Criminal Exploitation (CE)

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES)

Referrals for the YJS Prevention Services should be completed on the Youth Justice Service referral form.  Please call 0151-666-3466 for more details.

Referral form can be found in the resources section here

SHOUT

Shout is an affiliate of Crisis Text Line® in the UK that provides free, confidential support, 24/7 via text. It’s the first free 24/7 texting service in the UK for anyone in crisis anytime, anywhere. Shout is available in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland

 

Text SHOUT to 85258 in the UK to text with a trained Crisis Volunteer

or

Text BLUE to 85258 to get resources and sign posting information.

 

Every texter is connected with a real-life human being trained to bring people from a hot moment to a cool calm place through active listening and collaborative problem-solving. All of our Crisis Volunteers donate their time to helping people in crisis.

KOOTH

Kooth.com is an online counselling and support service offering a 24 hour source of help for Wirral's 11 to 25 year olds, with information and links to many different agencies and services.

Kooth.com offers young people an opportunity to access help and support through our online chat room, where young people can drop in and/or book one to one chat sessions with a member of the Kooth team.

Kooth counsellors have been specially trained over many years and follow the British Association of Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP) Ethical Framework.

Kooth also have support workers who have specialist knowledge about certain things, like drugs, alcohol or sexual health – support workers are not counsellors but they can help by giving young people information about things they may feel uncomfortable talking to other people about.

kooth.com