County Lines

County Lines

Individual

  • Withdrawal to bedroom all day / secrecy / obsession about door being closed.

  • Withdrawal from normal activities and interests.

  • Sudden interest in rap or drill music.

  • Sudden interest in weights.

  • Increasingly lying / manipulative / argumentative / aggressive / angry.

  • Leaving home suddenly without explanation.

  • Obsession with designer labels.

  • Physically aggressive especially if met with obstacles or plans disrupted.

  • Rapid / extreme change in appearance – from smart to ‘street’.

  • Rapid / extreme change in language – from well-spoken and respectful to coarse and offensive language.

  • Using coached responses such as ‘right to remain silent’ or ‘no comment’.

  • Total denial of situation as it appears – despite evidence to contrary.

  • Significant decline in school results / performance / behaviour.

  • Obsession with postcodes & ‘boundaries’.

  • Knowledge of areas with no legitimate links.

Presence of Unexplained Items

  • Packets of (secreted) white substance.

  • Traces of white substance (kitchen surface / rolling pin).

  • Scrunched up cling film & foil.

  • Paracetamol sheets missing / running out quickly without explanation.

  • Lighters / cigarettes / debit cards in unknown identities, explained as ‘just found on road’.

  • Knife / mobile chargers / dongles / cash / mobile data cards (Lycamobile).

  • Notes with crime-orientated rap lyrics & street slang (‘8 ways in, only 1 way out’).

  • Notes with sexualised female identities (social media?).

  • After-shaves / perfumes / trainers / stationery items (gifted / stolen).

  • Condoms & Vaseline (plugging).

  • Train tickets.

  • Balaclava (personal use or holding for others).

  • Items missing from home.

  • Old family mobiles and chargers.

  • Handbag shoulder chains.

  • Kitchen knives.

Escalation Indicators

  • Absence from school or disappearing during school.

  • Isolation from peers at school.

  • Total withdrawal and detachment from family.

  • Suddenly disinterest in seeing family/cousins – ‘nothing in common’.

  • Sudden interest in parents’ salary and mortgage payments.

  • Obsessively and repeatedly demanding (re: mobile, ‘need’ to go out etc.).

  • Maintains ‘story’ despite lacking total credibility.

  • Not divulging where going, who with or how travelling.

  • Excessive receipt of unexplained texts / phone calls at all hours.

  • Unexplained use of Tor app on mobile.

  • Unexplained use of Uber app on mobile.

  • Suspected use of taxis.

  • Complete change / negative attitude towards Police / school / authority. From lack of eye-contact to bravado / squaring up / rudeness & aggression.

  • Total lack of empathy towards those lied to or stolen from.

  • Persistently going missing or being found out-of-area.

  • Being hugely anti-Police (‘Feds’).

  • Very defensive/argumentative about Muslims.

  • Viewing family as enemy & associates as family.

  • Obliterating identifying information from train (season) ticket.

  • Deliberately avoiding having train ID card on person.

  • Using trains without paying fares / not using own Oyster.

  • Oyster card used by others.

  • Debit card missing – used by associates for money laundering.

  • Cutting off name labels from uniform items.

  • Cutting off age labels.

  • Suspected misuse of drugs/alcohol, and smoking.

  • Involvement in crime.

  • Direct involvement with gang members.

  • Use of false identities, dates of birth, and addresses,

  • Inappropriate sexualised behaviour.

  • Involvement with older individuals / dropping friends from school.

  • Unexplained injuries & suspicion of physical assaults.

  • In cars in unexplained areas with unknown people (‘hitch-hiking after party’).

  • Obsession with winter hats and gloves, even in warmer months (identification and fingerprint evasion).

  • Wearing two layers of clothing from home – top layer shed to avoid police detection.