Criminal Exploitation covers gang crime and county lines and includes children coerced or manipulated into criminal activity such as involvement in cannabis farms or theft. A gang may claim control over territory in a community, and engaging either individually or collectively in violent behaviour or other types of criminal activity. County lines is when gangs and organised crime networks groom and exploit children to sell drugs. They may make them travel across counties, and they use dedicated mobile phone ‘lines’ to supply drugs.
Safeguarding Vulnerable Young People on Public Transport (Operation Henderson) - Operation Henderson, is a joint initiative being run by the Essex Safeguarding Children Board and partners. It aims to raise awareness of the vulnerability of young people to exploitation and abuse at stations and transport networks in parts of Essex. A young person may use a station or form of public transport in an attempt to disappear. Children run away for a number of reasons, on most occasions they return home safely. What to do if your child is missing.