What is County Lines?

County Lines is 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 ae coerced into it by gangs.

The ‘county line’ is the mobile phone line used to take the order 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.(https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/)

County Lines is in the public eye with soap dramas such as Hollyoaks showing story lines about County Lines and how children are drawn into drug trafficking.

Statistics are showing that currently this year, in London alone, 4,000 teenagers are involved in County Lines.

What does this mean to you?

What can you do if you suspect a child or vulnerable adult is being involved in County Lines?

Who can you report County lines to?

What are the signs of someone being involved in county lines?

Further informationhttps://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/…/substance-misuse…https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/…/257…/file