Exploring the role of the British Transport Police in responding to ‘County Lines’ drug markets: Enforcement and safeguarding perspectives

Abstract

This article considers ‘County Lines’ drug markets, specifically in the context of the interventions available to the British Transport Police to deal with this damaging criminal modality. Further, this article identifies the active role the organisation is playing in protecting the interests of vulnerable people. Through a review of contemporary literature and a qualitative empirical study involving influential practitioners in the field, this article identifies that encouraging steps are being taken to deal with this complex problem and that the sharing of information between agencies remains one of the key challenges to overcome.

Keywords

County lines safeguarding drug supply partnership working gangs youth violence

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