County Lines is a type of Criminal Exploitation where children and vulnerable people are groomed to take drugs around the country. The dealers use dedicated mobile phone lines to take orders from users.
Some of the signs to look out for:
- Are they always going missing from school or home?
- Do they suddenly have lots of money/lots of new clothes/new mobile phones?
- Are they carrying weapons or know people that have access to weapons?
- Do they have unexplained injuries?
- Do they seem very reserved or seem like they have something to hide?
- Do they seem scared?
- Are they self-harming?
There are also some key words to listen out for:
- Cuckooing
- Going country
- Trapping, Trap House, Trap Line
https://www.fearless.org/en/campaigns/county-lines
https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/child-abuse-and-neglect/county-lines
