Expert Speakers:
- (Workshop Leader) Dr Simon Harding, Professor of Criminology, University of West London
- Superintendent Andy O’Connor
, Force County Lines Lead, Merseyside Police
- Chief Inspector Daryl Lyon
, Central Integrated Offender Management – Criminal Justice Service, West Midlands Police
- Emma Tovey
, Principal, Barton Hill Academy
- Callum Hutchinson
, Development Officer, Scottish VRU
- Andy Oliver
, Headteacher, Holte School
- Dr Grace Robinson, Rights Lab Research Fellow in Modern Slavery and Perpetrators and Organised Crime, Nottingham University
Drug trafficking and the number of vulnerable children referred by councils in relation to modern slavery since the beginning of COVID-19* lockdowns is on the rise. Therefore, disrupting county lines networks remains critical to
safeguarding young people and communities across the UK.
Westminster Insight’s timely
County Lines Digital Workshop will provide practical insights on how best to
identify, prevent, and support individuals affected by gangs and county lines.
We will explore how child criminal exploitation (CCE), county lines networks and criminal organisations have
adapted to the pressures and opportunities presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. You will hear updated perpetrator profiles and indicator models enabling you to ensure early intervention and intelligence initiatives remain effective.
West Midlands Police will share their experience of
disrupting county line networks through intelligence-led policing and inter-agency collaboration. CS Daryl Lyon will explore how to combat a culture of risk aversion to enable
effective information sharing, drive multi-agency partnerships and support intelligence-led interventions.
This event will also feature the
first-hand lived experience of an individual personally involved in county lines and showcase best practice in identifying and supporting those often falling under the radar –
girls and young women affected by gangs, county lines and sexual exploitation.
Join us to hear from leaders within
primary and secondary schools on how to collaborate effectively with parents, law enforcement and child protection services to safeguard children and young people in and beyond the school grounds. You will learn how different organisations fit within the wider context of child protection responses and receive best practice on how and when to escalate the support.
About Your Workshop Leader:
Dr Simon Harding is a Professor at the University of West London, with
his recent work focusing on urban street gangs within the UK. He currently works for the Research Centre for Cybercrime and Security specialising in urban street gangs, dangerous dogs, acid attacks and youth criminality.
Simon has extensive practitioner and professional experience in criminology, crime reduction and community safety with a long career covering the Home Office, various local authorities and housing. Alongside writing numerous strategies and reports, he
co-invented Acceptable Behaviour Contracts (ABCs) which subsequently became Home Office policy.
Having advised central government and UK law enforcement, Simon has cemented his expertise as an award winning author through the publication of four books – his latest being County Lines: Exploitation and Drug Dealing among Urban Street Gangs.
*Children's Society (2020)
