Covid-19 and child criminal exploitation in the UK: implications of the pandemic for county lines

Brewster, Ben; Robinson, Grace; Silverman, Bernard W.; Wash, Dave

Abstract

In March 2020, the UK was placed in lockdown following the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Just as legitimate workplaces made changes to enable their employees to work from home, the illicit drugs trade also made alternative arrangements, adapting its supply models to ensure continuity of operations. Based upon qualitative interviews with 46 practitioners, this paper assesses how front-line professionals have experienced and perceived the impact of Covid-19 on child criminal exploitation and County Lines drug supply in the UK. Throughout the paper, we highlight perceived adaptations to the County Lines supply model, the impact of lockdown restrictions on detection and law enforcement activities aimed at County Lines, and on efforts to safeguard children and young people from criminal exploitation. Our participants generally believed that the pandemic had induced shifts to County Lines that reflected an ongoing evolution of the drug supply model and changes in understanding or attention because of Covid-19 restrictions, rather than a complete reconstitution of the model itself. Practitioners perceived that Covid-19 has had, and continues to have, a significant impact on some young people’s vulnerability to exploitation, on the way in which police and frontline practitioners respond to County Lines and child criminal exploitation, and on the way illegal drugs are being moved and sold.

Citation

Brewster, B., Robinson, G., Silverman, B. W., & Wash, D. (2023). Covid-19 and child criminal exploitation in the UK: implications of the pandemic for county lines. Trends in Organized Crime, 26, 156-179. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12117-021-09442-x

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 26, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Dec 6, 2021
• Publication Date: 2023-06
• Deposit Date: Dec 3, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 7, 2022
• Journal: Trends in Organized Crime
• Print ISSN: 1084-4791
• Electronic ISSN: 1936-4830
• Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 26
• Pages: 156-179
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12117-021-09442-x
• Keywords: Organised crime; drug supply; law enforcement; safeguarding; covid-19
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/6849139
• Publisher URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12117-021-09442-x