NEWS

Brief outline of Cuckooing and County Lines

Cuckooing – a practice where people take over a person’s home and use the property to facilitate exploitation. It takes the name from cuckoos who take over the nests of other birds. There are different types of cuckooing using the property to deal, store or take drugs.
Some signs to look out for include

• An increase in people entering and leaving.
• An increase in cars or bikes outside.
• Possible increase in anti-social behaviour.
• Increasing litter outside.
• Signs of drugs use.
• Lack of healthcare visitors.

• County Lines – is where illegal drugs are transported from one area to another, often across police and local authority boundaries (although not exclusively), usually by children or vulnerable people who are coerced into it by gangs. The ‘County Line’ is the mobile phone line used to take the orders of drugs. Importing areas (areas where the drugs are taken to) are reporting increased levels of violence and weapons-related crimes as a result of this trend.

Some signs to look out for include

• An increase in visitors and cars to a house or flat.
• New faces appearing at the house or flat.
• New and regularly changing residents (e.g., different accents compared to local accent.
• Change in resident’s mood and/or demeanour (e.g., secretive/ withdrawn/ aggressive/ emotional).
• Substance misuse and/or drug paraphernalia.
• Changes in the way young people you might know dress.
• Unexplained, sometimes unaffordable new things (e.g., clothes, jewellery, cars etc).
• Residents or young people you know going missing, maybe for long periods of time.
• Young people seen in different cars/taxis driven by unknown adults.
• Young people seeming unfamiliar with your community or where they are.
• Truancy, exclusion, disengagement from school.
• An increase in anti-social behaviour in the community.
• Unexplained injuries.

DRIVING WHILE UNDER THE IN THE INFLUENCE OF DRINK OR DRUGS

“The consequences of drink and drug-driving are far reaching.
Even a small amount of alcohol or substances can massively impair your ability to drive safely,
and you increase the risk of seriously injuring or even killing yourself or someone else.”

“Imagine being responsible for something like that.
Not only have you destroyed the life of that person and their loved ones,
you’ve also destroyed your own life.”

“You could also be over the limit several hours after you’ve stopped drinking,
so make sure you give it enough time before you drive.”

You can use ‘under the influence calculator’
Tap

CALCULATOR
to go online

“Drugs stay in your system far longer.”

IF YOU’RE PREPARED TO DRIVE WHILE OVER THE LIMIT,

PREPARE TO FACE THE CONSEQUENCES.

The consequences of drink or drug-driving could include the following:

• Killing or seriously injuring yourself or someone else;
• A minimum 12-month ban;
• An unlimited fine;
• A possible prison sentence;
• A criminal record, which could affect your current and future employment;
• An increase in your car insurance costs;
• Trouble travelling to countries such as the USA.

If you know someone is driving while over the limit or after taking drugs, call 999.

Alternatively, people in Sussex can text police on
65999* with the details of people they suspect of drink or drug-driving,

Tap

Operation Crackdown website.

to go online.

The campaign is being run in conjunction with the

Sussex Safer Roads Partnership and Drive Smart in Surrey.