National Drug Issue – “County Lines”
‘County Lines’ is a national issue involving the use of mobile phone ‘lines’ by groups to extend their drug dealing business into new locations outside of their home areas. A ‘county lines’ enterprise almost always involves exploitation of vulnerable persons; this can involve both children and adults who require safeguarding. Secure operating bases are an essential feature of these enterprises. The county lines issue largely concerns Class A drugs, particularly the supply of heroin and crack cocaine.
A ‘county line’ describes a situation where an individual, or more frequently a group, establishes and operates a telephone number in an area outside of their normal locality in order to sell drugs directly to users at street level. This generally involves a group from an urban area expanding their operations by crossing one or more police force boundaries to more rural areas and using runners to conduct day to day dealing.
A major concern is the issue of safeguarding, as many gangs form a secure base in the homes of vulnerable people and force assistance by using violence or exploiting an addiction to drugs. Similarly, the exploitation of young people is a common factor, with groups often recruiting children to work as runners.
The line (i.e. the telephone number that is marketed and that the users call) is the lifeblood of the group’s activity in the county force and represents a brand rather than an individual.
The use of runners allows higher level group members to withdraw from the area at an early stage. Some forces highlight the exploitation of children by these groups. Children can be recruited and can be used to run the operations on the ground, including delivering drugs and money, staying in safe houses to look after the drugs / money or selling drugs to local users. Children are believed to be used as they are inexpensive, easily controlled and less likely to be detected by the police. Boys aged 14-17 are the most often targeted, however girls can also be exploited. In some cases girls may engage in a relationship with a group member and can later become victims of sexual and domestic violence.
The use of debt is a common feature in the exploitation of children, as with adults. Children may initially be groomed by a member of the group who will give them money and personal items. They will then be told they owe the group money before being threatened and forced to take part in county lines drug dealing. The scenarios where violence can occur in the county lines context are;
- Firstly, where groups infiltrate an area and push out local dealers.
- Secondly, violence can be used to secure an operating base, coerce people into becoming runners and to enforce drugs debts.
- Thirdly, where there is insufficient space in the drug market for groups to co-exist and they compete for business.
Police forces are able to give numerous examples where weapons, including firearms and knifes, have been used to inflict serious assaults on potential competition, or to coerce the vulnerable persons used by the groups.
Full report can be found at:
Most urban and some rural areas in South Somerset are being targeted, as they are nationally, with the worst areas at this time showing to be Yeovil and Chard.
The Police are doing what they can, with the resources they have available and working closely with other agencies, but to help reduce the spread we need people to be aware and report activity concerns and suspicions to the Police so that early interventions can be instigated. This is especially true with the ‘cuckooing’ of vulnerable residents.
Reports can be made anonymously by phone through CRIMESTOPPERS 0800555111 or online https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information-online/
999 is the number to call in an emergency when an immediate response for a crime in progress or the offender is nearby, someone is injured or violence is being used or threatened.
101 can be called to report issues that do not require immediate response
