Families feel a "bereavement" as children as young as nine are exploited by drug gangs operating far-reaching county lines.
Organised crime groups (OCGs), who "have no hesitation to use violence to achieve their aims", are exploiting Merseyside's vulnerable children and sending them on dangerous drug supply missions across the UK. County lines is the name given to a form of drug dealing, where gangs use phone lines to move and supply drugs, usually from cities into smaller towns and rural areas.
This exploitation is not a new problem that police in the North West of England are facing, however. Merseyside is the area with the highest county lines exportation in the country - and since 2019 Merseyside Police has had a specialist taskforce, Operation Medusa, tackling the illicit activity wreaking havoc in local communities.
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Amid pressure from police forces who have been financially backed by the Home Office, gangs are exploiting younger and younger children in the hope they pass across county lines undetected. Speaking to the ECHO from Lime Street Station on Wednesday, July 5, Leonie Standley from Parents Against Criminal Exploitation (PACE), said: "The strength of bond these gangs have over the children they exploit is unbelievable.
"Anyone who can communicate is at risk of exploitation and that's not me being dramatic. If you have a mobile phone or a social media account there is vulnerability. There are so many different pathways that lead a child into a county line and they don't realise until it is too late."
Ms Standley, who works alongside parents and carers of children who have been exploited, said the long-term effect of county line criminality is obvious. She added: "Parents and guardians feel a loss - it's like a bereavement. Their own child becomes a stranger to them.
"The child is so frightened by the level of control they are subjected to. Parents have to try and gain back that loving relationship. I've worked with parents who have relocated to get away from the OCG and have moved 200 miles away. Even then the gang tracked them down."
Ms Standley was at Lime Street Station supporting a joint operation between British Transport Police (BTP), Merseyside Police and Cheshire Police targeting the gangs who use the rail network to move drugs, cash and weapons around the country. The two-day multi-partner probe was specifically targeting the line between Liverpool and Chester.
Inspector Darren Wallace, of Merseyside Police, told the ECHO: "Chester is the highest importer of drugs from the Merseyside area" - and added this was due to it being a long-established supply line. Inspector Wallace said the force is aware of children as young as nine being used to transport drugs around Merseyside, while 13 and 14-year-olds will be using the rail network.
BTP Inspector Brian Buddo expanded on how these children were exploited and what kind of awful conditions they were forced to work under by the violent gangs. He told the ECHO: "Gangs will target children via social media by putting out adverts asking them if they want to earn £500 in a day. That draws children into it but once they are in that lifestyle it is very hard to get out.
"These children will be in horrendous circumstances, selling drugs, operating out of drug dens, sleeping on dirty floors. If we see a child that looks dishevelled, unkempt and dirty, we know they could be being exploited. When we step in to help you can see a weight is lifted off their shoulders."
The inspectors said the operation saw around 100 officers from the different forces helping identify potential county line victims. The pair said the deployed officers were identifying certain behaviours demonstrated by the suspected victims - and once they stepped in, often a conversation was all that was needed to support them.
The police's show of force was in partnership with social services and over 60 local safeguarding partners. Inspector Wallace said once they had identified the child at risk of exploitation they would take them somewhere safe, work alongside the partners and find a referral pathway away from the county line. The inspector added the last resort is to criminalise the at risk children.
During the first day of the operation, officers made seven arrests and carried out 27 stop and searches on the rail network. Arrests were made for a variety of offences including suspicion of possession of Class A drugs and suspicion of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs. Officers also encountered a vulnerable child suspected of being involved in the county lines who is being looked after by social care services.
Inspector Wallace told the ECHO: "The results showcase the success of working together with other forces and partners to close county lines and safeguard vulnerable individuals from the grip of toxic gangs.
"We will relentlessly target those crime groups who cowardly exploit vulnerable people in our communities. Those who exploit children will be caught, arrested and face justice for modern day slavery and human trafficking offences."
You can report any concerns to police on 999 if a crime is in progress, via 101, or the social media desk via Twitter @MerPolCC. You can also pass information via Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via theironline form at:https://crimestoppers-uk.org
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