When to Take Action: Reporting Suspected County Lines Activity in Your Community
- Written By The Kulturalism Team
- Oct 29
- 14 min read
Updated: Nov 4
You've noticed something isn't right. A child in your neighbourhood has new expensive clothes but seems withdrawn. There's increased foot traffic to a vulnerable neighbour's flat.
A teenager you know from the local school is suddenly missing days at a time, returning exhausted and evasive. Your instinct tells you something is wrong, but you're paralysed by doubt.
Reporting County Lines: Community Action Starts With You
Is it really my business? What if I'm wrong? Could I make things worse? What if they find out it was me?
These questions stop thousands of people across the UK from acting on their concerns every day. Yet behind each hesitation is a child at risk, a family in crisis, and a community being exploited by organised crime.
This is the harsh reality of county lines operations — and silence, however well-intentioned, allows exploitation to continue.
This article addresses those uncomfortable questions, explains when and how to report suspected county lines activity, and shows why community vigilance is one of the most powerful tools we have to protect vulnerable young people.
Understanding Why Community Reporting Matters
Changes in Children and Young People Look for sudden changes in behaviour — unexplained new clothes or phones, frequent travel, or secrecy about their activities. Missing school, looking tired or neglected, or showing unexplained injuries are also warning signs.
Signs in the Community Unusual foot traffic to a property, brief visits at odd hours, or different people answering the door may suggest drug activity. Vulnerable residents appearing frightened can indicate “cuckooing.”
Vulnerability Factors Children in care, those excluded from school, or experiencing neglect, poverty, or abuse are at higher risk. Young people with learning difficulties, mental health struggles, or unstable homes are prime targets for exploitation.
Overcoming Hesitation: Common Concerns
“What if I’m wrong?” You don’t need proof to report. You’re not accusing anyone — you’re raising a concern for professionals to assess. Safeguarding systems rely on information from ordinary people. A false alarm made in good faith carries no penalty. Silence, however, can cost lives.
“It’s not my place to interfere.” This belief is what criminals rely on. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Reporting is not interfering — it’s protecting. Communities that report concerns create environments where exploitation cannot thrive.
“Could reporting make things worse for the child?” Modern policing treats exploited children as victims first. Reporting allows trained professionals to intervene safely and connect them with support. The short-term discomfort of investigation is far less damaging than prolonged abuse.
“What if they find out it was me?” You can report completely anonymously. Crimestoppers (0800 555 111) guarantees confidentiality — calls aren’t recorded or traced. Even when you report to police directly, your details remain protected unless disclosure is legally required (which is extremely rare).
What Happens After You Report
Once you share a concern, professionals assess it against safeguarding frameworks. Some reports trigger immediate intervention; others build intelligence over time.
Multi-Agency Response: Police, social services, schools, and health teams work together to protect the child and disrupt criminal activity.
Safeguarding the Child: Plans may include counselling, mentoring, or relocation for safety.
Disrupting Criminal Activity: Police target exploiters and gang leaders rather than the children they control.
Your Role After Reporting: You may not receive updates, but your information remains vital to protecting lives.
Is it really my business? What if I'm wrong? Could I make things worse? What if they find out it was me?
These questions stop thousands of people across the UK from acting on their concerns every day. Yet behind each hesitation is a child at risk, a family in crisis, and a community being exploited by organised crime. This is the harsh reality of county lines drug operations, and your silence, however well-intentioned, allows the exploitation to continue.
This article addresses the uncomfortable questions, provides clear guidance on when and how to report suspected county lines activity, and explains why community vigilance is one of the most powerful tools we have to protect vulnerable young people.
Community Reporting Matters
County lines operations rely on invisibility and community silence.
Criminal gangs deliberately target children and vulnerable adults precisely because they blend into neighbourhoods, avoid police attention, and can be controlled through fear and manipulation. The National Crime Agency estimates there are over 2,000 active county lines in the UK, operating in approximately 88% of police force areas. Behind these statistics are real children, some as young as 12, being groomed, exploited, trafficked, and subjected to violence.
→ Early intervention saves lives. Children identified early in the grooming process have a significantly better chance of exiting before they become deeply entrenched in criminal activity, develop serious trauma, face violence, or acquire a criminal record that will affect their entire future. Community reporting is often the first alert that triggers safeguarding interventions.
Research by the Children's Society found that many young people involved in county lines had displayed warning signs that went unreported by adults around them. Teachers noticed changes in behaviour but didn't know what they were seeing. Neighbours observed suspicious activity but convinced themselves it wasn't their concern. Youth workers detected vulnerability but lacked the information to piece together the bigger picture. Each missed opportunity represents a child pulled deeper into exploitation.
When you report concerns, you're not "snitching" or betraying anyone. You're potentially saving a child from sexual exploitation, violence, drug addiction, criminal prosecution, or death. You're protecting your community from the violence and disorder that county lines operations bring. You're disrupting organised crime networks that profit from suffering.
Recognising the Warning Signs
What Should Concern You?
→ Before reporting, it helps to understand what county lines exploitation looks like in practice. The signs are often subtle, particularly in the early stages of grooming, but patterns emerge when you know what to observe.
→ Changes in Children and Young People
Look for sudden changes in behaviour or circumstances that seem inconsistent with the child's normal life. These might include unexplained new possessions such as expensive clothes, trainers, phones, or jewellery that the family couldn't afford. Frequent travel, particularly to areas outside their normal routine, often with vague explanations. Receiving excessive phone calls or texts, seeming anxious about their phone, or possessing multiple phones.
Behavioural changes are equally significant. A previously engaged student may become withdrawn, secretive, or evasive. School attendance often drops noticeably, with regular unexplained absences or arriving late. The child might display signs of exhaustion, appearing tired, hungry, or neglected. Some develop signs of physical harm including unexplained injuries, appearing frightened, or showing signs of assault.
Relationship changes also signal concern. The young person may have new, older "friends" or associates who seem controlling. They might become isolated from family and long-standing friends, or seem fearful of certain individuals or groups. Some children develop concerning attitudes, glorifying violence or gang culture, or displaying sudden access to money or drugs.
→ Signs in the Community
County lines operations leave footprints in neighbourhoods. Increased foot traffic to a particular property at odd hours, often involving brief visits, suggests drug dealing. The same property might display signs of cuckooing, where vulnerable adults' homes are taken over, with the occupant appearing scared, the property deteriorating, or different people answering the door.
Watch for children or young people in vehicles or properties with adults who are not their family, particularly if they appear uncomfortable or out of place. Properties might show signs of drug activity including strong chemical smells, blacked-out windows, people entering through rear entrances, or unusual security measures.
Transport-related indicators include children travelling alone on trains or coaches to rural or coastal areas, particularly on school days. Young people loitering around transport hubs, appearing to wait for instructions. Taxis making regular trips between urban and rural areas with young passengers.
→ Vulnerability Factors
Certain children face elevated risk of county lines exploitation. Those in or recently left care are disproportionately targeted. Children with absent parents or carers, unstable family situations, or experiencing domestic abuse are vulnerable. Young people excluded from school or persistently absent lack protective supervision. Those experiencing poverty, homelessness, or housing instability are easier to manipulate with promises of money or accommodation.
Children with special educational needs or learning disabilities, mental health issues, or substance misuse problems are particularly vulnerable to exploitation. Previous victims of abuse or exploitation face heightened risk. Some of the most vulnerable are those who don't see themselves as victims or actively resist help.
Overcoming Hesitation
Addressing Your Concerns
Understanding why you should report is different from feeling confident to do so. Let's address the specific concerns that prevent people from acting.
→ "What if I'm wrong?"
This fear paralyses more potential reporters than any other. You imagine the embarrassment of reporting innocent behaviour, the potential damage to relationships, or authorities wasting resources on your mistake.
Here's the reality: you don't need to be certain. You're not making an accusation or determining guilt. You're sharing a concern that professionals can assess. Police, social services, and safeguarding teams are skilled at evaluating information, distinguishing genuine concerns from misunderstandings, and investigating appropriately.
False reports made in good faith, based on genuine concern, do not result in consequences for the reporter. The authorities understand that safeguarding depends on people feeling comfortable raising concerns, even if those concerns sometimes prove unfounded. Better ten unfounded concerns than one missed opportunity to save a child.
Consider the alternative: staying silent when your instinct tells you something is wrong. If you're right and you did nothing, how will you feel when the truth emerges? Trust your instincts. If something feels off, it probably is.
→ "It's not my place to interfere"
This belief reflects a cultural reluctance to involve ourselves in others' affairs. We tell ourselves someone else will report it, the family will sort it out, or it's between them and the authorities.
County lines gangs rely on this attitude. They exploit community disconnection, knowing that even when people notice exploitation, social norms discourage intervention. The result is children suffering in plain sight.
Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. When we see a child at risk, we all have a moral obligation to act. This isn't interfering; it's protecting. The law recognises this through duties placed on professionals, but morally, the duty extends to all of us as members of society.
Communities with strong reporting cultures and active residents have significantly lower rates of child exploitation. Your willingness to act creates a protective environment where criminals cannot operate easily. Conversely, silent communities become hunting grounds.
Could reporting make things worse for the child?
This concern reflects genuine compassion.
You worry that police involvement might criminalise the young person, destroy family relationships, or provoke retaliation from gangs.
Modern safeguarding approaches recognise that children involved in county lines are victims first, not criminals. The National Referral Mechanism treats them as potential trafficking victims. Police and social services increasingly use trauma-informed approaches, prioritising support over prosecution for exploited children. Multi-agency safeguarding hubs assess reports holistically, involving social workers, health professionals, education, and youth services alongside police.
Will there be consequences? Potentially, yes. The young person might be upset initially. Families might be angry. But early intervention prevents worse outcomes. A 14-year-old found carrying drugs faces youth services support and diversion programmes. The same child, if left unreported, might face years of exploitation, serious violence, addiction, sexual abuse, and eventually adult prosecution carrying a substantial prison sentence.
Gangs do use intimidation, but police and safeguarding services have extensive experience managing these risks. Witness protection, safeguarding plans, and relocation can protect both children and reporters when necessary. The risk of inaction far outweighs the risks of reporting.
What if they find out it was me?
Fear of retaliation is legitimate, particularly when dealing with organised crime.
You might live near the people involved. Your children might know theirs. The potential for consequences feels very real.
Anonymous reporting exists precisely for this reason. Crimestoppers allows completely anonymous reports with no call-back, no identification, and legally protected anonymity. Even when reporting to police directly, your identity is protected unless you consent to disclosure or a court orders it, which is extremely rare.
In practice, county lines investigations draw on multiple intelligence sources. Even if you report directly, linking the report specifically to you is difficult, particularly if several people could have observed the same behaviour. Police deliberately protect sources, treating information handling with care.
If you face genuine danger, tell the authorities. They can advise on safety planning, provide support, and in serious cases, offer protection measures. Your safety matters, but it shouldn't prevent a child's rescue.
Knowing Where to Report
Understanding the reporting landscape helps you choose the right approach for your situation and comfort level.
→ Crimestoppers (0800 555 111 or crimestoppers-uk.org)
Crimestoppers is the UK's completely anonymous reporting service. You provide information about criminal activity without identifying yourself. Calls aren't recorded, traced, or monitored. Online reports carry the same anonymity guarantees.
Use Crimestoppers when you want absolute anonymity, you're providing information about criminal activity rather than immediate child protection concerns, or you're uncomfortable dealing directly with police. Crimestoppers can't provide updates on actions taken or outcomes, as this could compromise anonymity. If you want feedback, consider other reporting routes.
→ Police (101 for non-emergencies, 999 for emergencies)
Report directly to police when you have detailed information that could support investigation, you're witnessing ongoing criminal activity, you're comfortable providing your details for potential follow-up, or the situation is urgent but not an immediate emergency requiring 999. Police reports allow investigators to ask clarifying questions, gather additional detail, and potentially request statements if the case proceeds to prosecution. You control how much detail you provide about yourself. You can ask to remain anonymous to the subjects of the report, even if police know who you are.
Use 999 only for genuine emergencies where there's immediate risk of harm, such as witnessing a child being assaulted, drugs being dealt in real-time with risk of violence, or someone in immediate danger.
→ Local Authority Children's Services
Contact social services directly when concerns relate primarily to child welfare and safety rather than criminal activity, you have an ongoing professional or personal relationship giving you detailed knowledge, you're concerned about a specific named child, or you're worried about inadequate parenting or neglect alongside potential exploitation.
Every local authority has a Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) that receives and assesses safeguarding concerns. These teams coordinate responses across agencies, ensuring the right services engage.
→ Schools and Education Settings
If you work in education or are a parent with concerns about a child at your child's school, report to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL). Every school has one. They're trained in recognising exploitation, have direct links to social services and police, and can observe and monitor the child within the school setting.
Schools often notice patterns others miss. Your information might be the piece that completes the picture. Don't assume the school already knows.
→ National Referral Mechanism
For suspected trafficking, including county lines exploitation, refer potential victims to the National Referral Mechanism. First responders including police, local authorities, and certain charities can make referrals. If you're not a first responder, report to police or social services, who can make the referral.
The NRM provides trafficking victims with protection, support, and leave to remain in the UK if needed. It recognises that county lines exploitation often constitutes trafficking, particularly when children are moved between areas.
→ Other Specialist Organisations
Several organisations provide reporting pathways and support:
Missing People (116 000) if the young person has gone missing
NSPCC Helpline (0808 800 5000) for child protection concerns
Childline (0800 1111) for young people concerned about themselves or friends
Fearless (fearless.org) youth-focused anonymous reporting for gang and crime concerns
What Happens After You Report?
Understanding the process reduces anxiety about reporting and helps manage expectations.
→ Initial Assessment
When you report concerns, professionals assess the information against established risk frameworks. They consider the specificity of information, the number and nature of risk indicators, the child's age and vulnerability, and any prior concerns or intelligence about the same individuals. Not every report triggers immediate action. Some are recorded as intelligence, building a picture over time. Others prompt immediate safeguarding responses. The assessment aims to determine the appropriate level of intervention.
→ Multi-Agency Response
County lines cases involve multiple agencies. A typical response might include children's social care assessing safeguarding needs and family support, police investigating criminal activity and disrupting gangs, health services addressing physical and mental health needs, education monitoring attendance and providing pastoral support, and youth services offering diversionary activities and mentoring.
This coordinated approach recognises that effective intervention requires addressing criminality, safeguarding, health, education, and social factors simultaneously.
→ Safeguarding the Child
If assessment identifies significant risk, various interventions may follow. These might include strategy meetings between agencies to plan intervention, child protection plans if the child is at risk of significant harm, safety planning including agreed actions to reduce risk, support services such as counselling, mentoring, or advocacy, or accommodation changes if home is unsafe or unsuitable.
The goal is always to support the child to exit exploitation and recover from trauma, working with families wherever possible. Removing children from families is a last resort when safety cannot be achieved otherwise.
→ Disrupting Criminal Activity
Police action against county lines operates on multiple levels. Enforcement activity targets drug dealing and gang leaders through arrests, prosecutions, and asset seizure. Disruption tactics close down phone lines, seize vehicles, and visit cuckooed addresses. Prevention work involves education in schools, community engagement, and diversionary programmes.
Increasingly, police recognise that arresting exploited children is counterproductive. The focus shifts to pursuing gang leaders and exploiters while safeguarding child victims. This doesn't mean children never face consequences, but increasingly they're diverted from the criminal justice system toward support.
→ Your Role After Reporting
Once you've reported, your direct involvement typically ends unless you've agreed to provide further information or a statement. Authorities handle investigation and intervention.
You may never learn the outcome. This can be frustrating, but confidentiality protects the child and the investigation. Trust that your information was valued and acted upon appropriately. If you have ongoing contact with the child or situation, continue to observe and report any new concerns. Safeguarding is rarely a single intervention. Exploitation is complex, and children may need multiple interventions over time.
→ Consider the 15-year-old boy from Birmingham who went missing repeatedly, travelling to coastal towns. His mother reported concerns, but it was a shop worker in Bournemouth who recognised warning signs and contacted police. Investigation revealed he was being exploited by a gang. Safeguarding intervention removed him from exploitation, supported his family, and led to arrests.
Think of the vulnerable woman in her 60s whose flat was cuckooed for drug dealing. Neighbours noticed increased traffic and young people entering at odd hours but hesitated to report. Finally, one resident contacted police. Officers discovered the woman was terrified, her home taken over, and young people being exploited on her premises. Intervention freed her, safeguarded the children, and prosecuted the gang members.
These successes started with someone noticing and caring enough to report. That someone could be you.
→ Making the Decision: Trust Your Instincts
If you've read this far, you're already concerned about something. That concern deserves action. You don't need absolute proof. You don't need to investigate. You just need to share what you've noticed with people trained to assess and respond.
Ask yourself these questions: Would I regret staying silent if something terrible happened? Is this child's safety more important than my discomfort? What would I want someone to do if this were my child?
→ The answers clarify your responsibility.
County lines exploitation destroys childhoods, traumatises families, and damages communities. It won't stop through law enforcement alone. It stops when communities refuse to tolerate it, when neighbours look out for each other's children, and when ordinary people have the courage to speak up.
Your report might save a child's life. It might prevent years of trauma. It might disrupt a criminal network terrorising vulnerable people. Or it might add one piece to an intelligence picture that eventually achieves those things.
You have the power to protect. Use it.
References and Further Information
Home Office (2024). County Lines Drug Supply Vulnerability and Harm Guidance. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-exploitation-of-children-and-vulnerable-adults-county-lines
National Crime Agency (2024). County Lines National Assessment. Available at: https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/what-we-do/crime-threats/drug-trafficking/county-lines
Safeguarding and Children's Services:
Counting Lives: Responding to children who are criminally exploited. Available at: https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/what-we-do/resources-and-publications/counting-lives
Barnardo's (2024). Disrupting Harm: Child Protection and County Lines. Available at: https://www.barnardos.org.uk/what-we-do/protecting-children/child-sexual-exploitation-and-trafficking
Reporting Services:
Crimestoppers: https://crimestoppers-uk.org / 0800 555 111
Fearless (youth reporting): https://fearless.org
NSPCC Helpline: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/reporting-abuse/ / 0808 800 5000
Missing People: https://www.missingpeople.org.uk / 116 000
Research and Evidence:
National Youth Agency & The Children’s Society (2019). Keeping Kids Safe: Improving safeguarding responses to gang violence and criminal exploitation. Available at: https://dera.ioe.ac.uk/id/eprint/32954 Digital Education Resource Archive+1
The changing shape of street‑level heroin and crack supply in England: Commuting, holidaying and cuckooing drug dealers across “County Lines” by Robert Coomber & Leah Moyle (2018). Available at: https://academic.oup.com/bjc/article/58/6/1323/4668676 OUP Academic+1
County Lines: Exploitation and Drug Dealing among Urban Street Gangs by Simon Harding (2020). Available at: https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/county-lines Bristol University Press+1
Support Organisations:
The Children's Society - County Lines Support: https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk
St Giles Trust - SOS Project (county lines exit support): https://www.stgilestrust.org.uk
Victim Support: https://www.victimsupport.org.uk / 08 08 16 89 111
Legal and Rights Information:
Kulturalism resources on criminal justice processes: https://www.kulturalism.org
Youth Justice Board: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/youth-justice-board-for-england-and-wales
Just for Kids Law (legal advice for young people): https://www.justforkidslaw.org
This article provides guidance based on current UK law and safeguarding practice. It should not be considered legal advice. If you're involved in legal proceedings or need specific advice, consult a qualified legal professional.
