British boys most likely to be trafficked into modern slavery amid threat of 'buffet tables' in counties

The staggering threat from county lines has been laid bare in a recent report detailing how British boys are now the demographic most likely to be trafficked into modern slavery.

The Center for Social Justice's report Criminal Exploitation: Modern Slavery by Any Other Name reveals that typical conceptions of modern slavery often involve foreign nationals exploited into prostitution or forced to work in inhumane conditions. But since 2019, two thirds of all potential victims in the UK have been British nationals – mostly teenagers and vulnerable adults who trained themselves to commit crime for the benefit of others.

That's around 12,641 people, almost 8,900 of whom are British teenagers. However, these are only potential victims referred to the National Referral Mechanism – a framework for identifying modern slavery – so the number of young people affected will be significantly higher. Although the report makes clear that the figures relate to all types of criminal exploitation, a large number of victims will have been trafficked under the county model.

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County lines are the name given to drug trafficking in which organized crime groups (OCGs) use phone lines to move and supply drugs, usually from cities to small towns and rural areas. Gangs exploit vulnerable people – primarily children and vulnerable adults with mental health or substance abuse problems – to distribute and smuggle drugs.

The ECHO has previously documented how Merseyside criminal gangs treat the UK like “one big buffet” with drugs, guns and cash moving between towns every day. Previous statistics released by the government showed the lucrative nature of this illicit trade, with each line generating an estimated profit of £800,000. In 2019, the National Crime Agency (NCA) estimated that there were more than 1,000 lines operating in the UK, making it a near £1 billion industry.

Speaking previously to the ECHO, a British Transport Police inspector said police had seen children from Merseyside sent as far away in the UK as Aberdeen in Scotland and Truro in Cornwall. He said: “There are no boundaries to this: the UK is like a big buffet for them. They will make the most of their contacts across the UK to exploit the most vulnerable. »

Merseyside is the second largest exporter of county-level drug operations – just behind the London metropolitan area – and its gangs have influence in every corner of the UK. One officer, who previously led Merseyside's response to tackle the county boundaries threat, said: “There is not a single police force in England, in Scotland, in Wales, on the Isle of Man, Jersey, which was not affected by the boundaries of the county of Merseyside.

“Since our inception we have closed over 2,100 lines. They are everywhere. Our gangs are intelligent, they have a model of success and a presence in many rural and coastal towns across the UK. It is important that we “We are working with forces across the UK to identify and bring them to court.”

The report from the Center for Social Justice reveals that deprivation, substance abuse, mental health problems and age are among the significant factors that put people at risk of criminal exploitation. The report concludes: “One in four people in the most deprived parliamentary constituencies have seen signs of criminal exploitation in their community, compared to 15% in the least deprived communities.

“A quarter of teachers in schools with the most disadvantaged pupils were suspected of being criminally exploited, compared to 12 per cent of teachers in the wealthiest schools.” According to government statistics, Liverpool Walton is the most deprived constituency in the country. Four other Merseyside constituencies are also in the top 15 most deprived, according to 2019 figures.

Vulnerable children as young as eight were tasked with doing the dirty work of drug gangs under the county lines model. According to the ECHO, “Some of them could be duped when gangs come to take over the address for illegal activities, usually to supply drugs or store drugs and weapons.

“These children are also trafficking on the streets. What is important to note is that those who control the lines are not at risk. They are not trafficking on the streets, they are the ones being exploited who are subject to violence and risk of injury.

The report makes a number of recommendations to the government, including amending the Modern Slavery Act 2015 to make it more effective in dealing with criminal exploitation.

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