“I think there are many, many cases. I think it’s now become the norm for the older age primary school (child) to be involved in the outskirts of running.'
Primary school-aged children running drugs for gangs has “become the norm” while young teenagers are heading up county lines operations, the former children’s commissioner has warned.
Ms Longfield said two trends have emerged in the past two years – younger children being targeted as well as children from more typically middle class backgrounds from “leafy suburbs”, with social media increasingly used to lure them in. Ms Longfield told the PA news agency she has heard of children as young as nine or 10 being used to run drugs, and 14-year-olds heading up county lines operations.
She spoke of “unthinkable” situations such as grandmothers asked to carry drugs to protect children, and teenagers being threatened. “But we’re also seeing that exploiters know that – again, no opportunity is ever missed for these people – they know that kids are going to be more open and susceptible to the idea that there’s money to be made, and that’s something which they are exploiting ruthlessly.”
The commission is calling for a “Sure Start Plus” for teenagers – part-financed by millions recovered from the proceeds of crime each year – bringing health and education services together to ensure early and ongoing support.
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