Recognising the signs
You can help Warwickshire Police to stamp out drug dealing in our neighbourhoods, by recognising the signs it is happening and reporting your concerns to us.
How do you know if County Lines drug dealing is happening in your neighbourhood?
Some signs to look out for include:
- An increase in visitors and cars to a house or flat often at unsociable hours
- New faces appearing at the house or flat
- Young people seen in different cars/taxis driven by unknown adults
- Residents or young people you know going missing, maybe for long periods of time
- New and regularly changing residents (e.g. different accents compared to local accent)
- Change in a resident's mood and/or demeanour (e.g. secretive/ withdrawn/ aggressive/distressed/emotional)
- Young people seeming unfamiliar with your community or where they are
- Unusual smells coming from a property
What are the signs that may indicate someone you know is involved in County Lines:
- Repeatedly going missing from school or home and being found in other areas
- Having unexplained money and items such as new clothes, jewellery or electronic devices
- Getting high numbers of texts or phone calls, being secretive about who they're speaking to
- Having a new and unexplained mobile phone
- Significant changes in emotional or physical well-being
- Exclusion or disengagement from study or work
- Unexplained injuries
How to identify a cannabis farm in your neighbourhood:
- Strong odours coming from the building
- Curtains always drawn or windows covered/boarded up from the inside
- Lots of security measures such as window bars or locks
- Excessive condensation on windows
- Bright lights day and night
- Humming noise from fans used for ventilation
- Power cuts
- Unknown vehicles and visitors often at unsociable hours
- Resident visiting address infrequently