Responding to Drugs, County Lines & Child Criminal Exploitation
County lines gangs are highly organised criminal networks that use sophisticated, frequently evolving techniques to groom young people and evade capture by the police. Perpetrators use children and young people to maximise profits and distance themselves from the criminal act of physically dealing drugs
We understand how challenging it can be to prevent children and young people from becoming involved in what may exploit them; causing lasting harm and trauma. Even more so, how to intervene, disrupt, and safeguard them when they are embroiled.
This course prioritises ‘understanding’, with a focus on what creates the risks, how to spot this evolving, and what to do with what you know.
Attendance will leave you better informed & better prepared, with enhanced confidence to respond.
Day One
Drugs: substance understanding: what they look like, how referred to, prices and implications to children & your setting + links to grooming & debt
County Lines & Gangs: criminal business v affiliation, grooming & recruiting, entry level & escalating exploitation, networks, transport and links to missing & absent. (scenario-based character examples + potentially differing perspectives for boy’s & girl’s)
Social media and digital: mobile phones and gang & drill music
Day Two
Clues: what to look for & what to do with what you find
Weapons: why do children have them? And what to do if you find them
Procedure & practicalities: modern slavery, police interventions, NRM & the justice system – implications & impact + collaboration benefits
Prevention v Cure: what does effective safeguarding really look like?
the trainer
Tony Saggers completed 30 years of law enforcement service in 2017, as ‘Head of Drugs Threat and Intelligence’ with the National Crime Agency. This included national co-lead responsibilities for Drugs and also County Lines with National Police Chief’s Council and Home Office. He senior managed the annual national County Lines report, briefed ministers as part of establishing a national response and co-chaired the ‘National Practitioner Group’. His career entailed various roles within investigations, intelligence, covert operations and expert evidence at operational, management and strategic levels. He represented the UK in Europe for a decade, regarding ‘drugs supply and markets’ (data and dynamics) and worked globally in 40+ countries.
Since 2017 he has been a company director and consultant. He continues to advise governments and national agencies overseas, while remaining heavily involved in domestic responses to County Lines and Criminal Exploitation. On this topic, he delivers workshops across England & Wales, specialist courses to police expert witnesses, is a delivery partner with The Children’s Society ‘Tackling Child Exploitation’ programme and a specialist trainer on Parents Against Child Exploitation (charity) ‘advanced child exploitation’ courses. He advises local authorities, housing, social services and the education sector and has written published reports for RUSI SHOC. Tony has experience of being a school governor, independent panel member to review gang related murder and delivers a programme to assist schools with early identification and intervention for child criminal exploitation.
booking and dates
This two-day course is delivered online for £264+VAT per person.
If you have booked five places the sixth place is free.
CHA, NASAP, NAFP, SW Forum, and RI Network members receive a 25% discount – members price is £198+VAT per person