Gangs, County Lines and Keeping Young People Safe

Sixpence Support UK is an independent information website. It is not a charity, a safeguarding authority, an emergency service or a case-management service. We cannot investigate reports, assess risk, or contact the police, a school or Children’s Services on anyone’s behalf.

If you are worried about a child or young person, please contact the police, your local authority’s Children’s Services, a school safeguarding lead, or one of the organisations listed further down this page.

An ordinary group of friends is not a criminal gang. Young people naturally spend time together, share interests, use the same music, language and clothing, and meet in the same places. None of that is evidence of crime or exploitation.

An organised criminal gang is different. It is a group that is deliberately organised around committing crime, usually with adults or older young people in control, and usually involving money, power, pressure and consequences for anyone who tries to leave.

County lines is the term used for organised networks that use phone lines and other methods to control the supply of drugs between different locations — for example from a city into a town or a rural area. The network is run by people who keep themselves at a distance from the risk.

Children and vulnerable adults may be pressured or forced into transporting or storing drugs, money or phones for these networks. They usually carry the risk while other people take the profit.

Exploitation can happen locally as well as across county boundaries, in person and online. A child does not have to travel a long distance to be exploited.

Criminal exploitation usually starts with something that feels good, not something that feels frightening. Common approaches include:

• friendship, attention, praise and a false sense of belonging
• promises of money, gifts, food, trainers, status or “protection”
• pressure from friends, from older young people, or from adults
• online grooming through games, social media and private messages
• manufactured debts — a young person is told they owe money for something that was lost, stolen or never really existed
• threats against the young person, their brothers and sisters, or their parents and carers

People who exploit children look for situations they can take advantage of. These may include school exclusion or missed education, poverty, isolation or loneliness, disability, special educational needs, poor mental health, difficulties at home, or previous abuse or trauma.

These are vulnerabilities that criminals exploit. They are not faults in the child, and they are not the fault of parents or carers.

One sign on its own does not prove that a child is being exploited. Teenagers change, become more private and test boundaries as a normal part of growing up. What matters is a pattern, a sudden change, or something that does not add up. Possible signs include:

• frequently missing from home, or staying out unexpectedly
• unexplained travel, or being found far from home
• school absence, exclusion, or a sudden decline in attendance
• unexplained money, clothing, trainers, gifts or food
• multiple phones, a new phone, or unusually secretive calls and messages
• older associates, or a sudden change of friendship group
• unexplained injuries
• becoming frightened, withdrawn, aggressive, exhausted or unusually secretive
• losing interest in previous friends, activities or education
• carrying weapons, or talking about needing protection
• going to unfamiliar houses, hotels or short-term accommodation
• self-harm, substance use, or worsening emotional wellbeing
• somebody else controlling their phone, money, travel or identity documents

If you are unsure, you can still ask for advice. You do not need proof to share a concern with a safeguarding professional.

A calm, patient conversation is far more useful than an interrogation. A young person who is being exploited is often frightened, ashamed, or under threat, and may believe they will be blamed.

• Choose a calm and private moment, when neither of you is rushed.
• Listen first, before questioning.
• Avoid accusations, shouting or threats.
• Say clearly that they are not alone and that they deserve to be protected.
• Ask gently whether anyone is frightening, controlling or hurting them.
• Avoid promising absolute secrecy.
• Explain honestly that some information may need to be shared to keep them safe.
• Record concerning facts, dates and the words used, as accurately as you can.
• Seek safeguarding help promptly, rather than investigating yourself.

It is not too late to ask for help. Adults who work in safeguarding have seen this before, and they know that young people are pressured into it.

• Threats and debts used to control you are not your fault.
• Do not arrange to confront anyone alone.
• Speak to a trusted adult — a parent or carer, a teacher, your school or college safeguarding lead, a social worker, a youth worker or a police officer.
• If speaking aloud is not safe, contact Childline, or SafeCall from Missing People, from a safe device when you can.
• Try not to delete messages or other evidence if it is safe to keep them — but your personal safety always comes first.
• Call 999 if you are in immediate danger.

• Do not confront the people you think are exploiting them.
• Do not agree to carry, hide or return anything for anyone.
• Tell a trusted adult or a safeguarding professional.
• Use 999 if there is immediate danger.
• Concerns can also be reported through the police, Children’s Services, the NSPCC, Crimestoppers or Fearless.

Telling someone is not “grassing” on a friend. It may be what protects them.

Going missing repeatedly, or travelling somewhere unexpectedly, can be one of the clearest indicators that a young person is being exploited.

• Parents and carers should report a missing child to the police. There is no need to wait 24 hours — report it as soon as you are worried.
• Tell the police if you believe exploitation may be involved.
• Keep a note of where the child was last seen, who they were with and what they were wearing.
• Missing People runs SafeCall, a confidential service for young people and families affected by county lines and criminal exploitation. You can call or text 116 000 to reach the Missing People helpline.

Criminal exploitation can happen alongside sexual abuse and sexual violence. This affects young people of any gender. It may be used as another way of controlling, shaming or trapping a young person.

If you believe this may be happening, please seek urgent safeguarding support through the police, your local Children’s Services, the NSPCC Helpline, or a specialist child-exploitation service. A young person does not need to explain everything before asking for help.

Support is usually arranged locally, and what exists varies considerably from one area to another. People who may be able to help include:

• the designated safeguarding lead at a school, college or sixth form
• the local authority’s Children’s Services team
• local youth services and violence-reduction services
• social workers, including any allocated worker the family already has
• police safeguarding, youth or exploitation teams
• local NHS mental-health services and young people’s substance-use services
• trusted voluntary-sector organisations working with young people

If you are not sure who to contact first, your local council website or the child’s school is usually the quickest route.

Leaving an exploitative situation usually takes time. Fear, threats, debt, trauma, loyalty and dependency all make it harder, and progress is rarely straightforward. One conversation will not resolve it, and a young person may say no to help several times before accepting it.

Support may include:

• a safety plan, agreed with professionals
• help returning to education, training or work
• mentoring and steady, trusted relationships
• mental-health and trauma support
• substance-use support
• safe accommodation where risk cannot be managed at home
• family support, including help for parents, carers and siblings
• help from specialist child-exploitation services

Setbacks are common and do not mean that help has failed. Keeping the door open matters more than getting the first conversation right.

• GOV.UK — County Lines Programme overview
• GOV.UK — Home Office County Lines Programme data
• GOV.UK — County lines: criminal exploitation of children and vulnerable adults
• GOV.UK — Report child abuse to a local council
• GOV.UK — Find your local council
• Police.uk — Contacting the police (including 101)

The following are independent organisations rather than government services:

• NSPCC — Criminal exploitation and gangs
• NSPCC — Helpline (0808 800 5000)
• The Children’s Society — Child criminal exploitation and county lines
• Childline — Gangs (0800 1111)
• Missing People — SafeCall (call or text 116 000)
• Catch22 — child exploitation and violence services
• Crimestoppers — anonymous reporting (0800 555 111)
• Fearless — anonymous information for young people

This information is for general guidance only and does not replace advice from the police, a safeguarding professional, a social worker or a legal adviser. Services, helpline hours and published figures can change. Sixpence Support UK is not a charity, safeguarding authority or emergency service, cannot investigate reports, and cannot contact services on anyone’s behalf. In an emergency, always call 999.