Criminal Exploitation of Vulnerable Adults: County Lines & Cuckooing

What is cuckooing?

Cuckooing is when a person’s home is taken over for the purpose of criminal activity. It is most commonly seen in County Lines. This is where a drug dealer or group of drug dealers takes over the premises of a vulnerable person either by friendship, force, or a combination of both, before turning it into a base to store money, weapons, and prepare, and sell drugs from. A criminal will often befriend a vulnerable person, as comfort levels rise more criminals are brought to the home, adding to the activity, and taking over the property entirely. Cuckooing is typified by some form of power imbalance in favour of those perpetrating the exploitation. Whilst age may be the most obvious, this power imbalance can also be due to a range of other factors including gender, cognitive ability, physical strength, status, and access to economic or other resources.

• Can affect any vulnerable adult over the age of 18 years;
• Can still be exploitation even if the activity appears consensual;
• Can involve force and/or enticement-based methods of compliance and is often accompanied by violence or threats of violence;
• Can be perpetrated by individuals or groups, males or females, and adults or young people.

Lewisham Project ADDER (Addiction, Diversion, Disruption, Enforcement, Recovery) 

The programme seeks to ensure that more people get effective treatment, with enhanced treatment and recovery provision, including housing and employment support, and improved communication between treatment providers and courts, prisons, and hospitals.

The Lewisham Project ADDER Team have produced an Are You Aware of Cuckooing leaflet. 

For additional information on cuckooing, please see the 'Introduction to Cuckooing' presentation. 

What to do if you suspect a property is being ‘cuckooed’?

Call the Metropolitan Police Service on 101 (or 999 in an emergency or crime in progress) to report your concerns.

You can also report your concerns online. 

If you don’t want to speak to the police directly, you can call

Crimestoppers 0800 555 111.

or

Lewisham Council by telephone (non-emergency only) 0800 028 2028 or contact them by email.

What to do if you are a professional who is concerned

There are many forms and ways that adult abuse and neglect can occur, so we should not be constrained by definitions and terminologies.

Adult abuse is also often complex involving more than one type of abuse occurring at any one time.

How to Report Your Concerns
Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Lewisham Victim Care Pathway

Professionals should also make a report to Police if you think someone may be a victim of exploitation, contact them on 101 or report it online.

Guidance

New! LSAB Cuckooing A Brief Guide for Professionals

A brief guide for professionals including information on 

• What is Cuckooing
• Common Indicators of Cuckooing
• What can I do to help make the adult safe?
• Relationship-Based Practices
• Person-Centred Interventions 
• Partnership Working
• Advice for Submitting an Adult Safeguarding
  Concern
• Support for Lewisham Professionals

Multi-agency guidance on tackling Cuckooing

Canterbury City and Kent County Council's and their partnership have produced multi-agency guidance on tackling Cuckooing which can be applied locally.

Tackling Cuckooing Multi-Agency Guidance.

Criminal Exploitation of children and vulnerable adults: Updated County Lines Guidance

The government has published refreshed County Lines Guidance. The guidance is primarily aimed at frontline staff who work with children, young people and potentially vulnerable adults.

If you’re a professional working in social care, education, health, housing, benefits, law enforcement (police) and related partner organisations this guidance is for you.

Criminal exploitation of children and vulnerable adults is a geographically widespread form of harm that is a typical feature of county lines activity. It is a harm which is relatively little known about or recognised by those best placed to spot its potential victims.

The guidance is intended to explain the nature of this harm to enable you, the professional, to recognise its signs and respond appropriately so that potential victims get the support and help they need.

Like other forms of abuse and exploitation, county lines exploitation:

• Can affect any vulnerable adult over the age of 18 years;
• Can still be exploitation even if the activity appears consensual;
• Can involve force and/or enticement-based methods of compliance and is often accompanied by violence or threats of violence;
• Can be perpetrated by individuals or groups, males or females, and young people or adults; and
• Is typified by some form of power imbalance in favour of those perpetrating the exploitation. Whilst age may be the most obvious, this power imbalance can also be due to a range of other factors including gender, cognitive ability, physical strength, status, and access to economic or other resources.

As so little is known about this type of abuse the national picture on county lines continues to develop but there are recorded cases of:

• Both males and females being exploited;
• White British children and young people being targeted because gangs perceive they are more likely to evade police detection but a person of any ethnicity or nationality may be exploited;
• The use of social media to make initial contact with children and young people;
• Class A drug users being targeted so that gangs can takeover their homes (known as ‘cuckooing’).