WITH recent news of police shutting down approximately 10 per cent of County Lines operations in a UK wide strategy involving more than 43 police forces leading to more than 1,000 arrests, recovering £500,000 in cash and millions of pounds worth of drugs, it has never been a more opportune time to highlight the growing trend of County Lines and to explain what they are.

The National Crime Agency defines County Lines as where illegal drugs are transported from one area to another, often across police and local authority boundaries (although not exclusively), usually by children or vulnerable people who are coerced into it by gangs.

The “County Line” is the mobile telephone line used to take the orders of drugs. Importing areas (areas where the drugs are taken to) are reporting increased levels of violence and weapons-related crimes as a result of this trend.

Each County Line has an estimated income of £25,000 per week.

But County Lines is much more than drug dealing across the country.

It involves a much darker and more sinister list of crimes, which affect mental health, wellbeing, young lives and the people who fall victim to these gangs: cuckooing, coercive behaviour, sexual manipulation and abuse, child grooming and exploitation, drug dependency, to name but a few.

Young people are manipulated and exploited by drugs gangs in cities and forced to travel to coastal and rural towns to stay in houses called trap houses to deal drugs from.

Drugs within cities are easily sourced and are cheap to buy, County Lines gangs buy these drugs at a cheap price and sell them for a much higher price in rural and coastal areas.

The industry has the potential to earn more than £25m a year. It is this motivation that gangs manipulate and use to recruit children as young as 13 to travel across the country to sell their drugs.

The dealers will frequently target young people who are vulnerable, isolated, or affected by mental health issues to act as drug runners or move cash so they can stay under the radar of law enforcement.

The attraction of reward, money, friendship, and feeling of belonging lures them in at first. Then the threats of violence, mental and sexual abuse and drug dependency ensure their loyalty to the gangs.

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.

As Neighbourhood Watch members, we all have a part to play in understanding County Lines and speaking out when we have concerns.

The National Crime Agency suggests some signs to look out for: an increase in visitors and cars to a house or flat; new faces appearing at a house or flat; new and regularly changing residents (e.g different accents compared to local accent; change in resident’s mood and/or demeanour (e.g. secretive/withdrawn/ aggressive/emotional); substance misuse and/or drug paraphernalia; changes in the way young people you 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 injuries.

If you suspect County Lines within your community report it to the police (101 or in an emergency 999) or if you wish to remain anonymous via CrimeStoppers on (0800 555111).