The Home Office has published guidance for professionals working with potential victims of criminal exploitation. The guidance is specifically for those working with children and vulnerable adults as these are the people targeted by County lines gang activity. The aim of the guidance is to explain the nature of the harm caused and to enable the professionals to recognise it and respond to it.
Details
‘County lines’ is the police term for urban gangs supplying drugs to suburban areas and market and coastal towns. County lines is one of the main generators of gang-related exploitation of children as the gangs use the children and vulnerable people to move the drugs and money around.
The behaviour used by the gangs is exploitative and involves the victims being forced or enticed in to doing certain things. The behaviour can be perpetrated by groups or individuals and centres around an unequal power dynamic between the offenders and the victims which leads to an exchange of services, for example, the victim selling drugs for the gang in exchange for their protection.
The victims are vulnerable – often white British children with a background of neglect. Professionals are urged to take note if those they are working with go missing regularly, are in possession of a surprising amount of money or phones, have unexplained injuries or are carrying weapons.
The guidance advises practitioners who have concerns about a vulnerable person being criminally exploited in this way to inform social services.
This guidance has been produced following National Crime Agency’s 2016 report on County Lines, see our YJLC legal update.
Commentary
Child criminal exploitation (CCE) through county lines gang activity is a prevalent issue and an issue that youth justice lawyers should have at the forefront of their minds. Children prosecuted for possession with intent to supply class A drugs are often arrested far from home and are likely to be the victims rather than the perpetrators.
Lawyers need to consider whether their clients have a defence under section 45 of The Modern Slavery Act 2015 , which provides a statutory defence for victims of child trafficking and slavery accused of certain offences.
Lawyers also need to consider whether they should be making a disclosure to social services about their client being a potential victim. The ramification of making such a disclosure may be the initiation of care proceedings. Lawyers will need to consider their duties under their code of conduct: to act in their client’s best interest, to act with integrity and their duty of confidentiality.