Frontline youth workers have shared concerns as part of the “Hidden in Plain Sight” report, which include fears that the closure of many diversionary projects and specialist services aimed at helping young people exit gangs safely could lead to an increase in young people coerced into criminal activity.
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Gangs and Criminal Exploitation: Special Report
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Leading the fight against county lines gangs in Kent
The report states: “Lockdown has allowed street gangs to locate their targets much more easily as they know they will be either at home or close to a family address.”
“There are issues emerging around vulnerable young people during lockdown who are in unsafe environments and at greater risk from gang-associated activity. Whereas groomers find it easy to show young people the path they can take and its immediate reward – such as buying a new pair of trainers or drugs – in contrast, families and youth workers are struggling to compete.
“They are working with reduced services, youth centre closures and the prospect of a summer ahead with fewer residential opportunities, family outings and places to go. Social distancing has also led to a lack of visible positive, aspirational figures for young people in their own communities,” it adds.
Leigh Middleton, NYA chief executive, said: “More young people are in potentially unsafe environments with little or no contact and limited access to support services during lockdown.
“Just at the time when they are needed the most, many youth work projects stopped or became severely restricted due to Covid-19. Now is the time for more youth work, not less.”
Further concerns have been raised about how online activity is stoking gang violence and fears for an increase in gang activity and child criminal exploitation post-lockdown.
The report says that social media channels including Instagram, Snapchat and the increasingly popular House Party app are being used to incite gang violence.
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The report highlights Birmingham as an area where this form of “taunting” is prevalent.
It states: “It has been reported in some areas, including Birmingham, that these channels are being used to taunt or trap rivals and, in many cases, to incite violence – including one case of a shooting as a direct result of street gangs using social media.
“Where youth work has been digitised through lockdown, online contact has worked well for those whose relationships were already established; however, it is more challenging for work that is starting remotely to reach ‘new’ young people. There are concerns around increased online exploitation, including through sharing of images,” the report adds.
It also highlights concerns in some areas of an increased number of at-risk children slipping under radar of authorities or going missing due to lockdown.
“There is anecdotal evidence from a small sample of local authorities that less supervision of young people and staffing difficulties in care homes may lead to missing potential and actual incidences of child exploitation, exacerbated by a sharp increase in the use of online platforms and social media,” according to the report.
“Some are in unstable foster care placements or homes where domestic violence occurs or where parents are dealing drugs themselves, and there is a heightened risk of relationships breaking down and young people leaving home. In Thames Valley, the number of reports of ‘missing’ young people has reduced, but looked-after children are often still ‘staying out’ and now without regular contact with social workers or police,” it adds.
The NYA is calling on the government to classify youth services as an essential service and give youth workers key worker status in a bid to tackle these issues.
It is also asking for clear Home Office guidance to embed youth services in Violence Reduction Units and other agencies and for the government to create a Youth Service Guarantee, recommended by the home affairs select committee, to secure long-term funding and greatly increase the number of youth workers.
The report comes as the Metropolitan Police announced an extension of its crackdown on county lines drugs gangs - named Operation Orochi.
It will use £5m of Home Office funding to extend the programme for a further 12 months with the aim of convicting a further 210 known county lines drug dealers across the UK.
Natasha Chopra, Greater London service manager for The Children’s Society’s disrupting exploitation programme, said: “Being exploited to deal drugs in county lines operations has a devastating impact upon young people and puts them at real risk of terrifying violence and trauma.
“The criminals grooming them have not shut down their operations due to the lockdown but are instead adapting their tactics and young people we support have continued to go missing from home.
“We welcome the Met’s progress in tackling the issue and their focus on going after those who are grooming vulnerable children. However, we know that some line-holders are themselves young people who are being exploited, or young adults who were previously groomed and felt pressured to try to rise through the ranks to survive.
“That’s why it’s also crucial that children at risk are identified and offered early help, and that those who are already trapped in the cycle of exploitation are recognised as victims and offered support rather than criminalised.
“We want the government to introduce a national strategy to tackle child criminal exploitation, end the current postcode lottery when it comes to supporting young victims, and give all children who have been exploited access to an independent advocate who can ensure they get the help they need.
“Many vulnerable children are still hidden from the view of professionals like social workers and teachers due to the current crisis, and we want social care and schools to work together consistently to ensure all have access to a trusted professional who can check on their well-being.”
The report follows the publication last week of a serious case review into the murder of 14-year-old Jaden Moodie in London last year, who was groomed by drug dealers. In it, the review's author John Drew called for the creation of a national system for responding to exploitation of children by county lines gangs.
