August 2024
The National Police Chief Counsel (‘NPCC’), together with the National County Lines Co-Ordination Centre (‘NCLCC’), have launched a new strategy for 2024-2027 aimed at disrupting county lines.
The strategy aims to:
- Prevent people engaging in County Lines, and the associated violence and exploitation.
- Proactively safeguard children and vulnerable adults from harm.
- Better prepare communities by building resilience against the harms of County Lines.
- Relentlessly pursue offenders, including Organised Criminal Groups, Urban Street Gangs and individuals running County Lines.
The strategy for disrupting County Lines began in 2019. Since this time, the report claims, over 5,000 drug lines have been closed. However, the report notes that many of the individuals recruited to sell drugs consist of vulnerable adults and minors. Most of the children involved in County Lines are aged between 15-17 years old, with much younger children also experiencing exploitation.
Individuals who find themselves being exploited in this way are often victims of modern day slavery. The National Referral Mechanism (‘NRM’) confirmed in it’s recent report that 11% of all referrals into the NRM accounted for victims of County Lines.
Southwell & Partners specialises in Modern Slavery Law and cases involving County Line exploitation.
