Gangsters using primary school children to run drugs is now 'the norm'

Gangsters using primary school children to run drugs is now ‘the norm’, expert says

• Fears 200,000 children in England aged 11-17 ‘vulnerable to serious violence’
• Figures reveal that there were 11,600 instances where gangs were a factor 
• Former children’s commissioner said figures were just ‘the tip of the iceberg’ 

It has ‘become the norm’ for criminal gangs to use primary school children to run drugs, a former children’s commissioner warned.

Anne Longfield also said yesterday that more teenagers are now managing county lines operations as she claimed the Government should treat child exploitation as seriously as terrorism.

It came as government figures revealed that as many as 200,000 children in England aged between 11 and 17 are thought to be vulnerable to serious violence.

There were 11,600 instances where gangs were a factor and 10,140 in which child criminal exploitation played a part. 

It has ‘become the norm’ for criminal gangs to use primary school children to run drugs, a former children’s commissioner warned. A stock image is used above [File photo] 

Miss Longfield, who was the children’s commissioner until 2021 and now runs the Commission on Young Lives, said these figures were just ‘the tip of the iceberg’.

The commission’s report, Hidden in Plain Sight, warns that a combination of Covid, the cost of living crisis and a return to austerity would be a ‘gift’ to criminals looking to exploit vulnerable children.

Miss Longfield said she was already aware of children as young as nine being used to run drugs.

She said: ‘I think it’s now become the norm for the older age primary school (child) to be involved in the outskirts of running.

‘I think, sadly, I’ve been told more and more about the 14-year-olds – even a 13-year-old I’ve heard of – as being involved in that role in a county line.

‘I think that is a new development after Covid, and what people say is that while the market was suppressed during the pandemic, actually when it opened up those that were targeting young people went for a younger group of kids to do so, which is horrific – these are children.’

Miss Longfield urged parents to look out for signs such as ‘burner’ phones, hidden cash, children going missing or spending time with groups that seem to be a bad influence.

She also called on the Government to pull together a strategy in Cobra-style meetings to counter the worrying trends.

And the commission called for a ‘Sure Start Plus’ system for teenagers – funded by some of the millions recovered annually from the proceeds of crime – that would combine health and education services to ensure ongoing support for young people at risk.

Councillor Nesil Caliskan, chairman of the Local Government Association’s Safer and Stronger Communities Board, said: ‘The harrowing exploitation of children and young people is a significant, increasing concern for councils who work hard to identity and protect those at risk of abuse.’

Sir Peter Wanless, chief executive of the NSPCC, added: ‘The reality is this troubling situation could deteriorate further unless our political leaders confront the multitude of problems that are leaving young people at serious risk of criminal and sexual exploitation.’

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