County Lines drug gangs: Teen boys in Wakefield increasingly at risk of exploitation

Detective Sergeant Michelle Schofield said that males between the ages of 13 and 17 were most vulnerable to being targeted and that a rising number are believed to be at risk.

That picture is reflected elsewhere in the UK, she said.

County Lines describes criminal gangs who've moved away from dealing in big cities to focus operations in and between smaller cities and towns.

Children, including many from difficult backgrounds, are often exploited and used by the gangs to sell drugs.

Speaking at a children and young people scrutiny meeting on Wednesday, DS Schofield, from West Yorkshire Police, said: "We are seeing an increase in young people being identified as being at risk from County Lines.

"That's a national picture.

"I think it's probably always been there, but we're getting much better at understanding it and identifying it early than we ever have been before.

"Our picture is very similar to the national picture, in terms of identifying who's at risk, which tends to be young, males, white aged between 13 to 17.

"Again, that's representative of the national picture."

A Wakefield taskforce dedicated to trying to help children vulnerable to exploitation was set up last year.

It's helped forge closer links between different organisations, including the police, local council and youth offending teams.

DS Schofield told the meeting that although children working for gangs may be arrested if they're involved in criminal activity, the justice system is inclined to treat them sympathetically.

She said: "When you start looking at County Lines offences like possession of drugs, it doesn't preclude that young person from being arrested, because they've broken the law.

"At times, unfortunately, they'll have to be arrested.

"But if a young person's been involved in exploitation and gone on to commit a criminal offence, they've got a defence under Modern Slavery Act.

"They will be seen by the criminal courts as a victim. They weren't, in effect making those choices - they were being forced to make them by other people.

"So they still have to go through the prosceuton processes but the outcome could be very, very different.

"But it's a complex landscape depending on what kind of offences we're talking about, how serious those offences are and previous convictions.

"For us it's about trying to make sure that support is there for that young person and trying to work with them as best we can.

"We'd never want a young person to enter the criminal justice system because we know that can have a big impact on their lives and opportunities going forward."

Last year, West Yorkshire Police issued guidance for parents and guardians to help them detect whether or not their child may be involved in gang-led criminal activity.

This included warning signs such as distancing themselves from their peers, befriending older people and having possessions which they're unable to explain how they got them.

Local Democracy Reporting Service