Kentish Express Ashford & District
Work to stop drug gangs grooming children continues
Tom Pyman speaks to Kenward Trust’s John Shanley about the work done early on to stop young people being exploited by criminal groups
“Simple scare tactics don’t work, you have to take them on a journey.”
That’s the message from John Shanley, a charity worker who goes into schools in the hope of educating young people around the county on the dangers of drugs.
John is project manager of the Think Differently campaign, run by the Yaldingbased rehabilitation charity, Kenward Trust, which involves running a series of interactive sessions.
Youngsters are told stories of emotional heartbreak from grieving parents who’ve lost children and those of hardship from recovering addicts and ex-offenders whose lives have been affected by illicit substances.
“The world has changed so much from previous years in terms of gang culture and the rise of county lines, and young people need to know about it all,” John said.
“We look at where a negative path can take you and so maybe if and when certain scenarios arise in the future, they already have that resilience built up in them.
“That road can lead to addiction, mental health issues and obviously even death. By contrast, we try and also show where a positive path can take them by looking at some success stories.
“I believe the essence of what we’re doing at the moment is to tackle the grooming of young people.”
In a two-week spell in October alone, Kent Police arrested 118 people, including one as young as 14, in a specialist operation to clamp down on the supply of drugs, often from London into the Home Counties.
John says gangs are increasingly targeting younger age groups for victims to groom and take part in their criminal activities.
He explains how one tactic is to give a runner a bag of drugs to drop off at a location and then arrange for that child to be mugged.
When the youngster then feels as if they have lost the gang money, they are forced to repay their debt themselves and often end up trapped in a vicious cycle.
To help identify those who may be being exploited, the trust carries out work on the streets and in park areas, but also has a presence on trains, where people may be travelling down from the capital to deal.
“You get to see the signs: the panic and nervousness in a young person about carrying a bag and doing something for the first time,” he said.
“We don’t go up to them and say ‘we know what you’re up to’, we just talk to them normally and maybe try and identify characters we feel might need some help.”
Back in the schools, the sessions are made as engaging as possible.
“I think just talking at people for an hour or so doesn’t drive the message home as effectively,” he said.
“We’ve got pictures of our speakers in the past which are quite powerful, drug testing kits, everything has a show and tell element.”
There are also plans to train up teenagers in Years 12 and 13 to take part in a peer mentoring scheme for those in Years 7 and 8.
■ Following the tragic death of Ashford teenager Owen Kinghorn in Great Chart in September, the KM Group wants to help the Kenward Trust raise £50,000 so its work can reach thousands of youngsters. To donate, visit tinyurl.com/drugscampaign