County Lines: Exploitation and Drug Dealing among Urban Street Gangs

I wasn’t sure if it was really possible for anyone to fully capture the huge breadth of subject matter that comes with the issue of County Lines and how everyone involved basically exploit others for someone else’s gain – however I’m delighted to come upon this book by Professor Simon Harding, from the National Centre for Gang Research which does just that.   With the growing proliferation of news coverage, I come upon county lines more and more: and clearly, Dr Harding fully understands this world, helped I think by his own earlier practitioner background.  This means a very realist and practical approach and an eye for detail.  This is helped by his writing style which makes it very readable and digestible even with some heavy weight theory to underpin it. Harding also wrote The Street Casino which adapted the theory of French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu to develop the concept of ‘street capital’ which I think is the best explanation for why young people commit  violence and why they need validation, respect and status. He applies this to drug supply showing how recent increases in violence link to increased competition for status amongst young people.  He says gang members now actively seek Competitive Advantage over rivals and this drives violence.  I am persuaded that many practitioners see this on a daily basis. Harding starts the book talking about how austerity has created the conditions for street gangs to thrive and says they have evolved significantly over recent years.  He argues austerity pushes young people into gangs and links violence to evolving gangs, social media and county lines.  It is all very compelling, especially on how social media drives pours petrol on existing fires. Harding has a fascinating new take on drug dealing by approaching it from a business and marketing perspective: talking of customer orientation, entrepreneurialism, pricing, etc.  This is a new and worthy perspective which tells us it’s all about business.  But not all county lines models are the same in sophistication and professionalism. He paints a vivid picture of life inside county lines networks by talking to dealers first hand, asking about boredom and bando’s etc. His quotations and interviews are first rate and very insightful, e.g. the Control Repertoire where line managers control younger dealers using violence.  Again this is compelling and insightful stuff. He shows what happens when county lines arrive in a small town and how local boys clash with new arrivals or adapt and join them. He details how lines get started and the push/pull factors of choosing a new town to deal in.   I was very pleased to see he gives an equal airing to local practitioners and young people involved but also to police and local council staff. He notes county lines is not all about vulnerability but also about opportunity for young people and has great insight into aspects of Authenticity – which seems to be the prime objective for young people, right now.   He ends with a caution that county lines are spreading and, if left unchallenged, will only spread gang influence wider across the county with increased involvement of organised crime and a new range of products.  I am convinced that many practitioners can see that this is happening now. I was also pleased to see he is sympathetic to heroin users who are subjected to debt, violence and control all the time with many now recruited as dealers - which creates ructions and problems within their own user community.  This is hugely useful and we need these valuable insights and more research of this quality and stature. Harding has written a book full of insights and knowledge which is easy to read and digest.  I thoroughly recommend this book to those who have an interest in understanding and dealing with County Lines and would suggest it would be very useful to criminology students and sociologists.  I also strongly recommend it to practitioners working with young people or those policing drugs. It really is a first class book and fascinating read and I cannot recommend it highly enough. I can’t wait for his next one!