We are urging people to speak up about County Lines drugs gangs exploiting the vulnerable

We have launched a new campaign across the North East to highlight the damage caused by criminal gangs moving into local areas and exploiting vulnerable people, including children.

The campaign shines a light on the dangers of County Lines, where criminals from major cities such as Manchester, Liverpool, London and Glasgow expand their drug networks to other areas. Violence, abuse and exploitation are common behaviours and cause immense harm to individuals, neighborhoods and communities.
The gangs frequently set up in a new area for a short period of time, taking over homes of vulnerable people – which is known as cuckooing. They use children and adults to act as drug runners, forcing them to carry out criminal activity using threats, grooming and extortion.

Our campaign seeks to raise awareness of the issue, educate the public for the signs to look out for and to encourage the public to speak up 100% anonymously if they have any suspicions or information about County Lines.

For the campaign launch we have used an Advan to tour around Stockton-on-Tees, Darlington, Newcastle, Sunderland and Gateshead.

Social media will be used to help improve the public’s understanding of County Lines with the aim of increasing the amount of information given by the public from the North East region.

County Lines is a relatively new crime problem, so improving the public’s understanding to enable them to speak up when they spot the signs is important. It is reflected in our charity’s own statistics. Last year we received only five anonymous reports about County Lines activity across the whole North East region whereas so far this year, we have received 14 reports. This represents an 180% increase in County Lines reports from the region to date (Jan-Sep 2019).

“County Lines is a significant and growing problem and we need your help to protect the people and communities who are harmed by these gangs.

"Children and young people are being exploited and many are too troubled and young to realise what is happening. Being forced into drug running can leave them feeling they have no way out or struggling to escape the daily harm they have to endure.

“Crimestoppers charity believes everyone has the right to feel safe from crime. We need your help and support to protect young people from exploitation. If you are unwilling to speak to the authorities directly, you can contact us.

“We have always kept our promise of 100% anonymity to everyone who has contacted us. We never ask for your name. We won’t judge. We listen to what you know. Once you’ve hung up the phone or clicked send on our online form, you’re done. No one will ever know you contacted us. Your information could make a big difference in preventing harm and protecting the people and places you care about.”