Crimestoppers
Fearless - Our Youth Service
Northumberland: Appeal for information on County Lines activity
We have launched a new campaign to highlight how criminal ‘County Lines’ gangs are targeting young people and vulnerable adults by exploiting them to carry cash, drugs and weapons.
The campaign aims to raise awareness of County Lines, which is when criminals expand their drug networks to cities and towns across Northumberland bringing serious criminal behaviour such as violence, weapons, exploitation and abuse.
The term County Lines refers to the use of a single telephone number to order illegal drugs, operated from outside the local area. This has had a massive impact on towns and cities across the North East including Berwick upon Tweed, and also on vulnerable children and adults who are being exploited. Young people and more vulnerable adults often transport cash and drugs, so that the criminals behind them can remain detached and are less likely to be caught.
The gangs often set up a base for a short period of time, taking over the home of a vulnerable person by ‘cuckooing’ and use adults and children to act as drug runners.
Law enforcement across the North East has made significant arrests of people involved in this type of damaging and criminal activity. Many vulnerable adults and children who have been coerced into have been safeguarded.
Please note: Computer IP addresses are never traced and no-one will ever know you contacted us. For telephone calls, we have no caller line display, no 1471 facility and have never traced a call.
The term County Lines refers to the use of a single telephone number to order illegal drugs, operated from outside the local area. This has had a massive impact on towns and cities across the North East including Berwick upon Tweed, and also on vulnerable children and adults who are being exploited. Young people and more vulnerable adults often transport cash and drugs, so that the criminals behind them can remain detached and are less likely to be caught.
The gangs often set up a base for a short period of time, taking over the home of a vulnerable person by ‘cuckooing’ and use adults and children to act as drug runners.
Law enforcement across the North East has made significant arrests of people involved in this type of damaging and criminal activity. Many vulnerable adults and children who have been coerced into have been safeguarded.
“County Lines isn’t necessarily a term people are familiar with, but as a charity it’s important we raise awareness of this issue and help tackle it.If you have any information or suspect organised crime and County Lines with vulnerable young people and adults being exploited by criminal gangs, please tell our charity what you know. You can speak up 100% anonymously by calling our 24/7 UK Contact Centre on freephone 0800 555 111 or use our completely anonymous online form.
“We need to make it clear that gangs that are operating across Northumberland are not welcome, and for that, we need your help. We want to ensure that if they do decide to set-up in our local areas that people know they have options and can speak up anonymously to protect their communities.
“When you contact our charity, we won’t judge or ask any personal details. All we want to know is what you know. We guarantee, like millions of people before you who have trusted our service, that you’ll remain 100% anonymous. Always.”
Please note: Computer IP addresses are never traced and no-one will ever know you contacted us. For telephone calls, we have no caller line display, no 1471 facility and have never traced a call.
