County lines, policing and vulnerability

By Ross Coomber; Charles Lloyd; Kate Brown: and Laura Bainbridge

 In county lines, there has been a significant shift in policing approaches towards young people and vulnerable adults who are increasingly seen as victims of criminal exploitation, rather than simply as suspects or offenders. The extent to which vulnerable individuals are seen and processed as victims and safeguarded, or criminalized, varies enormously between and within police forces. This results in a policing and outcomes
postcode lottery with serious implications for procedural justice. Local area safeguarding partnerships also often lack robust baseline processes for those subject to criminal exploitation. There needs to be a national policing strategy on child and adult criminal exploitation to effectively address these issues within policing and local safeguarding.

Summary : This is the UK’s first national study of police responses to county lines drug distribution and related child and adult criminal exploitation. The study examined how the police identify and process young people and vulnerable adults involved in drug distribution in cross-border and local drug markets. The findings show that police forces are changing how they consider and process young people and vulnerable adults involved in drug markets. However, while they increasingly recognize vulnerability and investigate possible criminal
exploitation, policing practice varies significantly between and even within forces. The findings suggest that to help establish an appropriate minimum baseline safeguarding response, consistent across all forces, there needs to be more detailed national guidance, policy, and centralized oversight in this area.