A new fund will help to "carve out safe routes" for Merseyside's young people involved in county lines drug operations to escape.
The Home Office has announced up to £5m of funding that will be used to help young people escape the clutches of county lines drug gangs which exploit and groom them for criminal profit. Merseyside is one of four areas particularly blighted by county lines drug operations that will receive a portion of the funds, the other areas being London, the West Midlands and Greater Manchester.
Catch22, a not for profit business based in Knowsley, is one of the partners receiving the funding. Their teams will work with services like local police forces and children's services to reach young people at risk of exploitation by county lines drug gangs before it's too late.
