Northampton Hope Centre gives first-hand experience of the impacts of county lines at an inter-school conference

The conference was aimed at addressing the urgent need to combat the County Lines drug issue and brought together schools across Northamptonshire to gain insights from a variety of speakers.

Over the last 10 years drug supply and distribution pathways have undergone significant changes. Large gangs operating out of major cities, are supplying drugs to smaller towns and villages previously untouched. County lines are a significant problem in our community, with gangs using fear and intimidation to lure vulnerable children and young people into storing, delivering, and selling drugs. Victims often face coercion, intimidation or creating a debt the child must pay back.

Oli Handley, representing Northampton Hope Centre’s substance misuse team, emphasised the crucial role of engaging directly with the youth most affected by this issue. Handley stated, “Nearly half of County Lines drug dealers are teenagers in the 15-19 bracket, these people will often end up in our services such as HandUp as their lives are turned upside down. These young people are often from broken homes, suffer from high levels of exclusion and are from families struggling with hardship. It’s vital that we find ways to directly engage the young people most affected by this, this conference allowed us to do just this.”

During the event, Oli shared insights into how their Hand Up service helps those in crisis, and with problems associated with homelessness, drug, and alcohol addiction. Karl Winfarrah also spoke, describing his personal experience with county lines. Reflecting on his talk, Winfarrah explains; “It was an incredibly moving experience for me because the age group I spoke to was the same age group as when I got involved in county lines. I felt nervous about giving the talk as it was my first one, but I really hoped that my story struck a chord with everyone there, and that they can keep an eye out for the signs of county lines.”

Alex Copeland, CEO of Northampton Hope Centre, explains how collaborative working and building strategic partnerships with schools, the Police West Northamptonshire council, and outreach work to local communities within Northamptonshire is something they are working hard to develop. “Working collaboratively with partner organisations and community groups to reach individuals, families and in this case children, to help them overcome or mitigate the numerous challenges they face is a powerful tool. It is great to see Northampton leading the way in collaborative working to tackle the problems our communities are facing”.