While certainly not a new phenomenon, the exploitation of children and vulnerable adults in ‘county lines’ drug distribution and sales now attracts considerable attention and concern. In this study, we explored professionals' perspectives on understandings of and responses to this issue in the West Midlands, UK. We conducted in-depth interviews with 11 participants from policing, prosecution, government and the third sector. Participants typically saw county lines-related exploitation as insufficiently understood, especially where individuals are both victimised and commit offences are concerned. They also characterised responses as hampered by factors such as variable use of legislation, inconsistent intelligence sharing and insufficient resources – particularly to support vulnerable people. More robust multiagency collaboration could help address these issues, although it also involves challenges. Our exploratory study focuses on criminal justice responses to county lines-related exploitation in particular, a relatively narrow set of professionals and one specific geographical location, meaning findings must not be overextended. Nevertheless, it provides novel insights into a complex, important and understudied phenomenon. We situate the work against the broader literature on exploitation, drawing parallels with child sexual exploitation and ‘modern slavery’ that could inform further research.

中文翻译：

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专业人士对英国西米德兰兹郡县界线相关犯罪剥削的回应

虽然肯定不是一个新现象，但在“县线”药品分销和销售中对儿童和弱势成年人的剥削现在引起了相当多的关注和关注。在这项研究中，我们探讨了英国西米德兰兹郡专业人士对这个问题的理解和回应的看法。我们对来自警务、检察、政府和第三部门的 11 位参与者进行了深入访谈。参与者通常认为与县界线相关的剥削没有得到充分理解，特别是在个人既受害又涉及犯罪的情况下。他们还将应对措施描述为受到各种因素的阻碍，例如立法使用不一、情报共享不一致和资源不足——尤其是在支持弱势群体方面。更强大的多机构合作可以帮助解决这些问题，尽管它也涉及挑战。我们的探索性研究侧重于对与县界线相关的剥削的刑事司法响应，特别是一组相对狭窄的专业人员和一个特定的地理位置，这意味着调查结果不得过分扩展。尽管如此，它还是提供了对复杂、重要和研究不足的现象的新见解。我们将工作与更广泛的关于剥削的文献进行对比，将儿童性剥削和“现代奴隶制”相提并论，这可以为进一步的研究提供信息。一组相对狭窄的专业人士和一个特定的地理位置，这意味着调查结果不能过度扩展。尽管如此，它还是提供了对复杂、重要和研究不足的现象的新见解。我们将工作与更广泛的关于剥削的文献进行对比，将儿童性剥削和“现代奴隶制”相提并论，这可以为进一步的研究提供信息。一组相对狭窄的专业人士和一个特定的地理位置，这意味着调查结果不能过度扩展。尽管如此，它还是提供了对复杂、重要和研究不足的现象的新见解。我们将工作与更广泛的关于剥削的文献进行对比，将儿童性剥削和“现代奴隶制”相提并论，这可以为进一步的研究提供信息。