The Government has been urged to treat the exploitation of children as seriously as it does terrorism (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Children running drugs for gangs has ‘become the norm’, a new report has warned.
Teenagers are also said to be heading up county line operations across the country.
Anne Longfield, of the Commission on Young Lives, has urged the Government to treat the exploitation of children as seriously as it does terrorism.
The organisation’s new report, Hidden In Plain Sight, warns that hundreds of thousands of children in England at risk of violence, harm, crime and diminished life chances.
It explains that a combination of Covid, a cost-of-living crisis and a return to austerity would be a ‘gift’ to criminals, who see children as the ‘commodity of choice’ to exploit.
Ms Longfield said two trends have emerged in the past two years – younger children being targeted as well as children from more typically middle class backgrounds from ‘leafy suburbs’.
Social media has been increasingly used to lure targets in.
Government figures covering 2021-22 show there were 11,600 instances where gangs were a factor and 10,140 instances where child criminal exploitation was a factor in assessments of children in need – which the commission believes is the tip of the iceberg.
What are County Lines operations?
County Lines is where illegal drugs are transported from one area to another, often across police and local authority boundaries (although not exclusively), usually by children or vulnerable people who are coerced into it by gangs.
The ‘County Line’ is the mobile phone line used to take the orders of drugs.
Importing areas (areas where the drugs are taken to) are reporting increased levels of violence and weapons-related crimes as a result of this trend.
A common feature in county lines drug supply is the exploitation of young and vulnerable people.
The dealers will frequently target children and adults – often with mental health or addiction problems – to act as drug runners or move cash so they can stay under the radar of law enforcement.
Estimates suggest there could be as many as 200,000 children in England aged 11 to 17 who are vulnerable to serious violence.
Those most at risk are teenagers growing up in poverty, in deprived areas, and they are disproportionately from black, brown and minority ethnic backgrounds, the commission said. It also noted that young women and girls who are victims ‘often go unseen’.
Ms Longfield has received reports of children as young as nine or 10 being used to run drugs, and 14-year-olds heading up County Lines operations.
Asked how prevalent she believes these examples to be, she said: ‘I think there are many, many cases. I think it’s now become the norm for the older age primary school (child) to be involved in the outskirts of running.
Thousands of children are at risk of being exploited (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
‘I think sadly, I’ve been told more and more about the 14-year-olds – even a 13-year-old I’ve heard of – as being involved in that role in a county line.
‘So I think that is a new development after Covid, and what people say is that while the market was suppressed during the pandemic, actually when it opened up those that were targeting young people went for a younger group of kids to do so, which is horrific – these are children.’
She spoke of ‘unthinkable’ situations such as grandmothers asked to carry drugs to protect children, and teenagers being threatened.
Ms Longfield also expressed concern about the cost-of-living crisis and prospect of austerity measures, noting that young people who have nothing are easier to exploit.
The commission is calling for a ‘Sure Start Plus’ for teenagers – part-financed by millions recovered from the proceeds of crime each year – which could bring health and education services together to ensure early and ongoing support.
It also wants to see faster mental health support, more youth workers and schools remaining open in the evenings and weekends to be funded by levies on social media companies and mobile phone providers, and dormant bank accounts.
Ms Longfield urged parents who may be worried to keep talking – to other parents, schools, family workers, and most importantly, to their children.
Signs that something is wrong could include discovering a ‘burner’ phone or cash hidden away, a child spending time with a new group of friends who a parent is worried are not a good influence, or going missing for parts of the day, she said.
The cost of living crisis is resulting in more children falling into crime (Picture: Shutterstock/Sharomka)
The Department for Education said safety from abuse and exploitation is every child’s right, and the Government has made an extra £4.8 billion available to councils up to 2025 to deliver services.
A spokeswoman said: ‘We are investing more than £1 billion to improve early help services, through a network of Family Hubs, programmes supporting thousands of families to stay together safely, support with their mental health and providing healthy food and activities during the school holidays.
‘We are also strengthening the links between social care and education and providing targeted support to keep children most at risk of exploitation engaged in their education.’
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The Government has been urged to treat the exploitation of children as seriously as it does terrorism.
