Alarm over girls trapped in county lines drug gangs by threat of rape
VICIOUS gang members are threatening to rape young girls unless they deliver and sell drugs.
Charities say many have even been passed around dealers as “gift girls” as a reward for making profits.
Youngsters aged 15 to 17 are most commonly victims of the ruthless “county lines” dealers, who use them to carry drugs from borough to borough and across county boundaries.
But some youngsters as young as seven have been recruited by gangs, who can make £800,000 a year in illegal profits.
Charities say 35 per cent more youngsters sought their help during the pandemic.
They also warned that the involvement of girls and young women is underestimated and growing.
Abi Billinghurst, who founded the London-based support group Abianda, said: “There are a vast numbers of young women who go unrecognised under the radar.
Exploitation
“They’ve always been involved, it’s just nobody’s ever looked under the stone to find out.”
The gangs use violence, intimidation, sexual exploitation and the offer of money or drugs to coerce people to stay in their group.
During the pandemic, criminal gangs even dressed children as key workers to deliver drugs.
At least 27,000 children in England have been identified as county lines gang members – and it is feared cash-strapped young adults who lost their jobs or were furloughed during lockdowns are being exploited. Around 14.5 per cent of crime referrals last year were labelled county lines, compared with 11 per cent in 2019, figures show.
Girls and young women are increasingly asked to carry drugs and weapons, as they are deemed less likely to be questioned by police or other public services.
Gangs are now said to be recruiting young people on streets and are also targeting care homes, foster care and supported housing.
A surge in drug dealing is usually linked to a rise in killings, gun and knife crime, theft and robbery.
The Local Government Association wants all police forces in England and Wales to have “violence reduction units”, backed up by five years of long-term funding rather than the current year-on-year commitments.
They currently only exist in 18 police force areas.
The body is also calling for more money for children and youth services, which it says is key to tackling serious violence.
Anntoinette Bramble, who chairs the LGA’s children and young people board, said: “The harrowing exploitation of children and young people by county lines drugs gangs, including the increasing trend to recruit females, is a significant and increasing concern.
“Councils work hard to identify and protect those at risk of abuse.
“However, to robustly tackle serious violence requires multi-agency working across a range of partners, including health, education, local councils, the police and the voluntary sector.”
She added: “Many of the current violence reduction units set up are making inroads on identifying and tackling county lines, but this needs to be on a national basis if it’s going to have a
real impact.”