Concern over increase in county lines grooming during pandemic

Some 46 per cent of parents, foster parents and legal guardians surveyed by the charity said they think the risk of children being criminally exploited has increased in their locality since March last year when Covid-19 restrictions were first introduced.

Four in five of those asked said they are worried about their children being exploited to sell drugs close to where they live and the same proportion are concerned their children are being groomed online.

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However, the survey of 2,000 parents and carers, revealed significant gaps in knowledge around child criminal exploitation (CCE).

When asked where they thought children were most at risk of being targeted by criminals, the most common answers were through social media, messaging apps and online gaming platforms.

Far fewer parents knew of the risks of young people being targeted in the community at locations like fast food outlets, shopping centres and at transport hubs and on public transport, researchers said.

Four in 10 parents and carers had not heard of the term child criminal exploitation, and 28 per cent had not heard of the term county lines. 

When asked if they knew how to support a child they thought was being criminally exploited, a quarter wouldn’t know where to go. 

The Children’s Society is calling on the government to introduce a national strategy to tackle CCE alongside a national campaign to raise awareness among parents and the public of it.

Mark Russell, chief executive of The Children’s Society, said: “Exploitation can wreck young lives and put children in enormous danger. Successive lockdowns have left many feeling isolated, struggling with their mental health and worried about everything from the pandemic to family finances.

“Criminals prey on vulnerabilities by grooming young people with offers of cash, gifts, drugs and alcohol, and friendship and status. Since the pandemic we have seen more cases of young people being targeted online in particular.

“It is worrying that significant proportions of parents lack knowledge about this type of exploitation, the places where children can be targeted – especially in the community – the signs to look out for and who to go to if they have concerns.

“More needs to be done to raise awareness about child criminal exploitation among not just professionals, but parents, children and the wider public too.”