Spotlight on Safeguarding

On March 17^th, Year 8 students from across Crawley secondary schools visited the Hawth Theatre for a Safer Schools event on the dangers of county lines drug dealing and knife crime. Students listened to the life experience of Patrick, from the St Giles Trust, a former gang member who warned the Year 8 students of the dangers of county lines and also how to recognise how they can be targeted and groomed by gang members. In preparation for the event, Year 8 students received pre-event lessons as part of the PSHE curriculum on the topic of county lines and knife crime. County lines is a term to describe the transportation of drugs from one area, commonly big cities, to another area of the country where criminal gangs are setting up a drug dealing operation. County Lines drug dealing involves the use of children in the transportation and dealing of drugs. According to the NSPCC, the average age of the children who become involved as drug runners is between 15 and 16, however children as young as 12 have also been groomed into these gangs. Areas where County Lines drug dealing is taking place also suffers from an increased level of violence including knife crime.