1. County Lines Communications Toolkit For help and support contact:
Ella Hardy
Communications and Campaigns Officer 9895
Ext:

2. What does this toolkit include?
This toolkit is designed to help you effectively communicate key messages around county lines to internal and external stakeholders.
Please use the messages within the toolkit to help raise awareness about county lines. Feel free to add your corporate logo to the images and/or tweak the social media messages to your audience.
Download the images from Dropbox -
We need your help to be able to:
Increase awareness of county lines among the public:
Stakeholders/agencies
Increase reporting of county lines
Increase the number of people reporting intel to police
Increase the quality of intel being reported to police
Educate the public on County Lines

3. What are we trying to say? How do we say it?
What are we trying to get across to the public with our messaging?
We want to show through these social media messages that together in our partnership, we are:
Employing a number of overt and covert tactics in order to prevent offences and catch anyone carrying out criminal activity surrounding county lines.
Being proactive in tackling this type of crime whilst encouraging the public to assist by being vigilant and report suspicious activity.
Raising awareness that this is a current but rapidly growing issue and can affect young children and vulnerable people that anyone has the potential to know.
Call to action
Think about who your target audience is. Use call to actions – “Report here” “Do you know the signs?” etc.
Signpost your messaging:
Direct external audiences to the Leicestershire Police website on county lines:
Direct internal employees to the Leicestershire Police reporting portal:

4. Key messages
There are many crime prevention messages but these are the main ones we’re trying to convey across through phase one of the campaign.
Know the signs of county lines:
Repeatedly missing from home or school and decline in academic performance
May be carrying a weapon
Gang association or isolation from peers or social networks
Unexplained relationships with new or older people
Know the signs of cuckooing:
Signs of drug use
Decline in a neighbour’s wellbeing
Increase in people or vehicles visiting a property
Increase in Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB)

5. Posters

6. Cuckooing A5 leaflet with crop and bleed

7. Facebook covers

8. Twitter covers

9. Facebook images
County Lines
Cuckooing

10. Twitter images
County Lines
Cuckooing

11. Suggested Social Media Posts - Twitter
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links
Crime gangs use either children or vulnerable people unknown to the police to sell illegal drugs around the county. #KnowTheSigns by visiting for further information. #CountyLines
Do you know how to spot the signs of a child who is being exploited as a drug mule? #KnowTheSigns by visiting for further information. #CountyLines
Do you know how to spot the signs of a child who is being exploited as a drug mule? #KnowTheSigns by visiting for further information on this and how you can report your concerns. #CountyLines

12. Suggested Social Media Posts - Twitter
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Children are being groomed to deal drugs from a young age, they’re also being asked to look after weapons. What are the signs to look out for? Get to #KnowTheSigns by visiting . #CountyLines
Criminals are taking over the homes of vulnerable people. How can you spot this? Get to #KnowTheSigns by visiting . #CountyLines
Has a child you know been given cash, clothes and expensive gifts they can’t easily explain? They may be victims of exploitation to sell illegal drugs around the county. #KnowTheSigns by visiting for further information #CountyLines

13. Suggested Social Media Posts - Twitter
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Has your neighbour’s wellbeing significantly declined over the past couple of weeks or months? They could be a victim of county lines activity. Get to #KnowTheSigns by visiting for further information and how to report concerns. #CountyLines
Knowing the signs of #CountyLines can help you play your part within your community. Let’s keep children and vulnerable people safe. #KnowTheSigns by visiting
Anti-Social Behaviour can be one of the many signs associated with county lines drug dealing. #KnowTheSigns by visiting for further information #CountyLines

14. Suggested Social Media Posts - Twitter
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#CountyLines is a form of criminal exploitation and sees offenders moving children or vulnerable people for the purposes of selling drugs. #KnowTheSigns to report suspicious behaviour, visit for further information
Criminal offenders groom, threaten, force or trick victims into carrying out their crimes. #KnowTheSigns of how to spot #CountyLines activity to prevent more people falling victim, visit
Cuckooing is a form of county lines crime in which drug dealers take over the home of a vulnerable person in order to criminally exploit them as a base. Reporting it helps stop this. Find out how at #CountyLines #KnowTheSigns

15. Suggested Social Media Posts - Facebook
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Criminals are grooming children to deal drugs from a young age in exchange for cash and gifts that traps them into an ongoing cycle they can’t escape. #KnowTheSigns and how you can report your concerns by visiting
Do you know a child who has suddenly got expensive items such as trainers, game consoles, phones and designer clothes they can’t explain. They could be a victim of county lines. #KnowTheSigns by visiting and how you can report any concerns you may have.
Gang association is linked to criminal exploitation such as drug dealing. Don’t be a victim, there is always a way out. Visit for further information #KnowTheSigns

16. Suggested Social Media Posts - Facebook
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Vulnerable adults can be exploited by criminals using their home to push drugs or as a base to deal them. Visit to get to #KnowTheSigns and how to report any suspicious behaviour.
Are you concerned about a vulnerable neighbour’s welfare? Have they not been seen as frequently as usual? They may be a victim of cuckooing. Get to #KnowTheSigns and visit for further information. #CountyLines
Cuckooing is the take over of a vulnerable person’s house with the intention to use it as a base to sell drugs. #KnowTheSigns by visiting for further information and for details on how you can report any concerns.
#CountyLines