Gangs and Criminal Exploitation: Policy context

Defining exploitation

The Children's Society's recent Counting Livesreport sets out the variety of forms child criminal exploitation (CCE) can take. It can include children being forced to work in cannabis factories, being coerced into moving drugs or money, made to shoplift or pickpocket, or to threaten other young people. It has recently become associated with one specific model known as "county lines". In this model, organised criminal networks exploit young people and vulnerable groups to distribute drugs and money across the country through dedicated mobile phone lines often from cities to counties - hence the term county lines.

In a report from the National Crime Agency, 88 per cent of English police forces reported county lines activity. The agency recently assessed that there are more than 1,500 lines operating nationally, with evidence of increasing levels of violence.