But St Giles Say Nuance and Collaboration Remains Key
St Giles welcomes the government’s recent introduction of the Crime and Policing Bill, which includes seeking to criminalise Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE) and Home Invasion aka ‘cuckooing’. This legislative move is a significant step towards safeguarding vulnerable children from predatory criminal activities.
While we welcome and support the intent behind this legislation, it is crucial to carefully examine its implementation. The nuances of the guidance must ensure that individuals coerced into criminal activities are recognised as victims, not perpetrators. We believe age should not be the sole determinant of culpability; for instance, an 18-year-old adult at risk arrested in such contexts may still be under significant coercion and should not automatically be classified as a perpetrator.
St Giles CEO, Tracey Burley said:
“This legislation marks progress in protecting vulnerable children. However, we must ensure that its application distinguishes between true perpetrators and those manipulated into criminal activities. We would support nuanced guidance being put into place and rolled out to all stakeholders, including the Crown Prosecution Service, responsible for implementing this legislation and comprehensive support systems put in place, with organisations, such as St Giles, included as an essential pathway to support victims in rebuilding their lives.
We would also like to urge policymakers, the police and support organisations to collaborate closely to ensure this legislation effectively protects those it aims to serve, without inadvertently penalising victims of exploitation.”
Child criminal exploitation involves coercing children into illegal activities, such as drug trafficking for organised crime groups including county lines.
Current estimates indicate that approximately 14,500 children were identified as at risk or involved in CCE in 2023 to 2024, though this is likely an underestimate as many exploited children are not known to authorities.*
Home Invasion refers to criminals taking over a vulnerable person’s home to conduct illegal activities like drug dealing. Whilst there is no centrally held data on the number of cuckooed properties, in London recorded instances of cuckooing have risen from 79 in 2018 to 316 in 2022 (BBC.) The National Police Chiefs’ Council have also released figures from the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre who coordinate a week of intensive action against county lines gangs that all police forces take part in. As part of this operation between the 25th November and 1st December 2024, 853 suspected cuckooed properties were visited, highlighting the growing prevalence of this exploitative practice.
* Child criminal exploitation and cuckooing to be criminal offences – GOV.UK