The effects of COVID-19 on Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE) are being investigated by the Rights Lab at the University of Nottingham.
The research, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council as part of UK Research and Innovation’s rapid response to COVID-19, will assess what impact the measures introduced to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have had on perpetrator behaviour, such as how it has changed or continued, and will inform efforts to urgently safeguard vulnerable children and adults during the pandemic.
EUROPOL, the National Crime Agency and regional police have previously speculated that changing supply-demand dynamics may disrupt drug supply channels, and shortages could increase drug-related violence between gangs, suppliers and distributors1. Lockdown restrictions are also likely to have impacted point-of-sale tactics, with resulting shifts towards online and dark-web markets2.
The Rights Lab hopes to shed light on COVID-19’s impact on the distribution and sale of illegal drugs and CCE through ‘county lines’, where drugs are transported from one area to another, often across police and local authority boundaries, usually by children or vulnerable people who are coerced and controlled by gangs.
Through anonymised national crime, intelligence and case records, as well as interviews, the project will detail COVID’s effect on ‘county lines’ operations, and the prevention, detection and safeguarding abilities of police and other organisations. The Rights Lab is working with national law enforcement and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), the Victims’ Commissioner and partners connected with the Nottinghamshire anti-slavery partnership, including Nottinghamshire Police.
The researchers are exploring changes in offending related to potential shifts to online grooming and internet misuse; changes to illegal drug markets generally; and possible increased risk of vulnerable people’s properties to cuckooing – where drug dealers take over someone’s home in order to use it as a base for county lines drug trafficking – as offenders seek to continue operations with discretion.
Other areas under scrutiny include the impact of social distancing measures on already vulnerable children due to the reduced opportunities for in person safeguarding and social care.
The research will provide police, safeguarding and care organisations with evidence that will guide intervention measures to address 'county lines'-related offending, and reduce risk to vulnerable children and adults.
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About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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