County lines is a national issue, which involves the use of dedicated phone 'lines', usually mobile phones to facilitate drug dealing to locations outside of the group or gangs home town, usually to smaller towns and rural locations.
In almost all cases the enterprise will involve and rely on the exploitation of vulnerable people, to move drugs and/or money around the country. This can involve both children and adults who may require safeguarding.
In some circumstances these groups or gangs may establish a base to sell or manufacture drugs from. They may befriend a vulnerable person and take over their home by using coercion or force. This practice is referred to as 'cuckooing'. It is common that the person whom they are exploiting is offered drugs in exchange for the use of their home.
County lines involves drugs, violence, gangs, safeguarding, criminal and sexual exploitation, modern slavery, and can also be linked to missing persons.
To successfully tackle this issue there is a need for a multi-agency approach at a national, regional and local level, involving both statutory and third sector partners as well as law enforcement agencies.