Yesterday (Wednesday 21 February), a group of organisations in South West England launched a joint initiative to help young people “speak up, stay safe and stop crime” in Cornwall and across the region, focusing on the use of trains for distributing illegal drugs.

The educational event took place at Redruth‘s Regal Theatre, and included unveiling a set of materials that aim to encourage young people to creatively explore the topic of exploitation, with an emphasis on ‘County Lines’ drug trafficking.

‘County Lines’ refers to organised networks for dealing in illegal drugs, where dealers enlist vulnerable people, often in rural and suburban areas.

The initiative’s organisers see drug trafficking as an ongoing problem for communities in Cornwall, and hope to encourage young people to think and discuss the dangers of exploitation, which they further hope will lead to an increase in reports of similar crimes.

As the ‘County Lines’ networks often use trains to transport drugs and cash, train operator CrossCountry, which runs services in the South West, is providing £17,880 of the initiative’s £21,880 funding.

National charity Crimestoppers and social enterprise Unique Voice jointly host the initiative, and CrossCountry is providing funds as part of its Customer and Community Improvement Fund.

• Educators and community leaders can access resources on exploitation and more on Crimestoppers’ What Would You Do? website.
• People can report crime anonymously through Crimestoppers, by calling 0800 555 111 or online, here.
• More information about CrossCountry’s Customer and Communities Improvement Fund is available here.

Sarah Gould, Regional Director for CrossCountry’s West & Wales region, said, “We’re pleased to support this important initiative as part of this year’s Customer and Community Improvement Fund.”

“We know that exploitation and trafficking are a key concern for communities in the South West – as a rail operator, it’s important for us to support the prevention of these dangerous activities as strongly as we can.”

Karen MacDonald, Crimestoppers’ West Country Regional Manager, said, “We’re pleased to be able to bring this important resource to educators in our tenth year of working in partnership with Unique Voice.

“The valuable support provided by CrossCountry will ensure that even more children and young people across Devon and Cornwall speak up, stay safe and help to stop crime – particularly when it comes to risks around exploitation and County Lines trafficking.”

Krystal Keeley, Co-founder and Director at Unique Voice, said:,“This brand new resource aims to equip children and young people with an understanding of exploitation, the forms it can take and the awareness of who to turn to when they need support.

“It’s been fantastic to work with CrossCountry and Crimestoppers to empower young people to spot the signs of exploitation, for themselves and for others.”