Child Criminal Exploitation occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of a person under the age of 18 and may coerce, manipulate or deceive a child or young person under that age into any activity. In exchange for:

• Something the victim needs or wants

• for the financial advantage or increased status of the perpetrator or facilitator 

•  Through violence or the threat of violence. 

The victim may be exploited even if the activity appears consensual (i.e. moving drugs or the proceeds of drugs from one place to another). Child Criminal Exploitation does not always involve physical contact; it can also occur through the use of technology. 

What is County Lines:

County lines is the term used for urban gangs supplying drugs to suburban areas and market coastal towns using dedicated mobile phone lines or “deal lines”.  It involves child criminal exploitation (CCE) as gangs use children and vulnerable people to move drugs and money.  Gangs establish a base in the market location, typically by taking over the homes of local vulnerable adults by force or coercion, a practice referred to as ‘cuckooing’.

County lines is a major, cross-cutting issue involving drugs, violence, gangs, safeguarding, criminal and sexual exploitation, modern slavery, and missing persons; and the response to tackle it involves the police, the National Crime Agency, a wide range of Government departments, local government agencies and VCS (voluntary and community sector) organisations. 

County lines activity and the associated violence, drug dealing and exploitation has a devastating impact on young people, vulnerable adults and local communities.

The Home Office has produced a guidance: Criminal Exploitation of Children and Vulnerable Adults: County Lines Guidance  for front line professionals on dealing with county lines, part of the government’s approach to ending gang violence and exploitation.

What are the signs of criminal exploitation and county lines?

• Returning home late, staying out all night or going missing

• Being found in areas away from home

• Increasing drug use, or being found to have large amounts of drugs on them

• Being secretive about who they are talking to and where they are going

• Unexplained absences from school, college, training or work

• Unexplained money, phone(s), clothes or jewellery

• Increasingly disruptive or aggressive behaviour

• Using sexual, drug-related or violent language you wouldn’t expect them to know

• Coming home with injuries or looking particularly disheveled

• Having hotel cards or keys to unknown place

Child sexual exploitation is a form of child sexual abuse. It occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child or young person under the age of 18 into sexual activity 

• in exchange for something the victim needs or wants, 

• for the financial advantage or increased status of the perpetrator or facilitator.

 The victim may have been sexually exploited even if the sexual activity appears consensual. Child sexual exploitation does not always involve physical contact; it can also occur through the use of technology.

Children and young people who become involved face risks to their physical, emotional and psychological health and well being. Any young person could become a victim of child sexual exploitation; the crime affects both girls and boys, from any background and of any ethnicity. It is the organised and deliberate exploitation of a child purely for the sexual gratification of adults.

There are three main types of CSE:

Inappropriate relationships – this usually involves one perpetrator who has inappropriate power or control over a young person. There is often a significant age gap and the victim may believe they are in a loving relationship.

‘Boyfriend’ model – the perpetrator befriends and grooms the young person into a ‘relationship’ and then convinces or forces them to have sex with friends or associates. This is sometimes associated with gang activity. Peer exploitation is where young people are forced or coerced into sexual activity by peers and associates. Sometimes this can be associated with gang activity, but not always.

Organised sexual exploitation – young people are passed through networks, possibly over geographical distances, where they are forced into sexual activity with multiple men. This often occurs at ‘sex parties’ and the young people may be used to recruit others into the network. Some of this activity is described as serious organised crime and can involve the organised ‘buying and selling’ of young people by perpetrators.