County lines
County Lines is where people are used by criminal gangs to move drugs from one area to another.
A "County Line" is the mobile phone given to the victim to take orders of drugs. As a victim you might be used to transport drugs a short distance across a town, or you could be sent on a long journey via public transport. You can be exposed to some extremely dangerous situations, including drug use, using weapons and physical or sexual abuse.
You could be tempted in with the promise of friendship, belonging to a group and expensive gifts, but once you become involved, it can be very difficult to escape. You might be told you have a debt to pay off by carrying out more work and if you don’t do it, you could face threats or violence.
What are the signs?
When you first get involved in County Lines, you might not see yourself as a victim or realise you are being exploited. The signs that you could be involved with County Lines include:
- Offered drugs and/or alcohol for free
- Encouraged to carry or store a weapon or drugs
- Given a mobile phone or "burner phone"
- Being told you have a debt to pay
- Being given money or gifts, such as expensive clothes or trainers
- New friends
- Encouraging you to ignore old friendships, family or people that care for you
- Spending time away from home/work or staying out late
- Asked or made to travel to places away from where you live - during the day or overnight
- Threatened by someone or made to feel uncomfortable
- Encouraged to keep secrets
- In a sexual relationship you are not comfortable with
- Being expected to be publicly loyal to a particular group, for example
What Could Happen to me?
Even if you are being forced to commit crimes, you could still get into trouble if you are caught. Having a criminal record can seriously affect the rest of your life, including where you can work and travel, so it’s important to realise that you are the victim and ask for help before it is too late.
If you’re part of a criminal group or "gang" that are committing crimes, you could also be arrested for crimes the others commit, even if you did not take part. This is called the law of joint enterprise.
Being involved with a criminal group or "gang" puts you at high risk of being hurt or sexually abused. You are mixing in a world of violent crime, knives and guns and there’s a very real danger of being seriously injured, or even killed. The people you work for might use violence to make you continue committing crimes for them, or they might threaten your family. You could also be forced into sexual activity to pay off your debt.
Criminal groups or "gangs" may arrange for you to be robbed while you are carrying their drugs or money, then tell you that you owe them for the loss and have to do more work for them, this includes if the police have taken the drugs or money from you during an arrest.
You might find yourself using drugs and alcohol, which can cause you serious physical and mental harm. You could become addicted to drugs and criminal gangs might use this to make you work more for them, by offering drugs as payment.