7 minute read
I THOUGHT THEY WERE MY FRIENDS
I THOUGHT
THEY WERE
MY FRIENDS
Criminal gangs are inflicting pain and suffering on vulnerable people by taking over their homes. Jackie Rankin talks exclusively to the professionals working to break the chain, and a victim.
It’s known as cuckooing. Vulnerable people are preyed upon, with people gaining trust and then taking over the homes of victims. They are chosen because they are easy to manipulate and exploit and they have addresses that can be used by drug dealing businesses to accommodate drug runners.
They use what is coercive control and emotionally blackmail the victim, in effect controlling their life. When the victim asks them to leave they say, ‘how would you be able to manage without me?’
Social worker Emma McCall says cuckooing victims often have no other support network. “Perpetrators see vulnerability as a weakness. They will begin by doing errands and in some cases supplying drugs. “It’s very coercive. They present as kind and caring and ‘befriend’ the person. They’ll say they’re giving up their home, but they’re often homeless.”
Emma is part of an integrated care team, made up of a range of different agencies from health, social care and voluntary services which seek to support people with multiple and complex needs.
Merseyside Police run sessions for professionals who work with vulnerable adults. It’s part of a wider police programme to reduce drug abuse and drug deaths – Operation ADDER.
cuckooing
noun
The practice of taking over the home of a vulnerable person in order to establish a base for illegal drug dealing, typically as part of a county lines operation.
She said: “The abuse that goes with cuckooing is awful. It’s physical, mental and sexual abuse of people who don’t know how to help themselves.
“Yet even professionals may struggle to see more subtle signs. We’ve had lightbulb moments during training sessions where someone will reflect and realise that what they saw happening was cuckooing.”
Katy Wafer, Mersey Care’s Integrated Care Team coordinator for central Liverpool says training is proving invaluable.
She explained: “As health professionals we have a privileged position going into people’s homes. District nurses, podiatrists, dieticians all visit clients regularly so they can ask questions if they see something that stirs their professional curiosity. The training explains what they may find if someone is being cuckooed; an increase in anti-social behaviour, a reluctance to engage or allow someone going into the house after many years of visits. Having that awareness helps them act if they suspect something is amiss.”
Inspector Stribling urges people to raise concerns about cuckooing – and promises they’ll be supported.
She said: “We know people are worried we’ll see them as a criminal because their home is being used for drug dealing but we’ll respect you as a victim and help you.
“You can report anonymously, and we will act on your information. If you have an inkling something’s wrong, you’re usually right. Give us the chance to look into it and maybe save someone from a traumatic experience.” Convincing someone that they need to break ties with the perpetrators isn’t always easy. Building relationships with the person is key, says Emma McCall.
She said: “They want things to be different but they’re scared. It would be lovely to go in and say, ‘this is what has to change’, but we’re strangers. We go on the person’s journey with them, all the time assessing their needs and empowering them to open up.
“The moment when someone says they want us to help them is amazing. It’s what we come to work to do. And it shows that a multi-agency approach works.”
That moment came with cuckooing victim Ken. He has since moved from his old home and is looking forward to ‘having a life at last.’ (Read Ken’s story on page 6).
How to spot the signs and report your concerns – page 7.
Inspector Susan Stribling says sharing concerns could help someone avoid a traumatic experience.
I DIDN’T THINK THERE WAS
A WAY OUT
Criminals moved into Ken’s home and took over his life. he told his story to MC magazine’s Jackie Rankin.
When Ken smiles his eyes twinkle. It happens when the gently spoken 64 year old talks of his future. The day we meet he’s had news of a new home. He turns to his social worker Emma and grins. “We’re going out to buy a TV aren’t we?”
Back in the 80s Ken was living a quiet life, with a job and his own home. He enjoyed an occasional pint, but he never touched drugs. His life changed when he was offered a substance to take away chronic pain from an injury. It was heroin. “I didn’t know what it was. Back then it was cheap, and no one knew the dangers. I took it to stop the pain, but within a week I was hooked.“
Decades of drug use ravaged his mind and body. Estranged from his family, Ken came to rely on ‘friends’ to get his drug supplies. Their motive was to use his home for criminal activities.
“I wanted them to leave, but I was scared. I didn’t think there was a way out.”
When Emma first tried to help, Ken turned her away. “I hadn’t trusted anyone for a long time,” he says. Turning to Emma he smiles. “But I opened up to you, didn’t I?”
Photo: Joel Goodman
As Ken began detoxification with Mersey Care’s drugs service, Merseyside Police County Lines team built a case against the perpetrators. They are currently serving prison sentences.
Ken has been completely drug free for almost a year and is now reunited with his family.
Emma praises the commitment of partners including police, domestic violence, health and fire services. “So many people worked hard to make things happen. It took a while, but that’s what was needed.”
She’s full of admiration for Ken. “He could barely walk to the door when all this began. He’s done so well. We’re all proud of him.
Ken’s modest smile appears once more. “I’m a bit proud of myself,” he says. “It’s been a long road but I’m pretty sure I’m going to be ok.” His hopes for the future? “I hope other people will think ‘if he can do it I can’.”
DON’T CROSS
THE LINE
Cuckooing is one of the methods used by county lines gangs and organised criminal networks involved in dealing illegal drugs, using dedicated mobile phone lines or other form of ‘deal line.’
Gangs will use children and vulnerable people to move drugs and money, by criminally exploiting them. Cuckooing is where they seek to establish a base in target locations, typically taking over the homes of local vulnerable adults by force or coercion. People exploited in this way will quite often be exposed to physical, mental and sexual abuse, and in some instances will be trafficked to areas a long way from home as part of the network’s drug dealing business.
LOOK FOR
THE SIGNS
If you think there may be dealing or drug activity happening at a property, it may be being cuckooed. Key things to look out for are:
• An increase in visitors and cars to a house or flat
• New faces appearing at the house or flat
• New and regularly changing residents (eg. different accents compared to local accent)
• Change in a resident’s mood and or demeanour (eg. secretive, withdrawn, aggressive, emotional)
• Substance misuse and/or drug paraphernalia
• Residents you know going missing, maybe for long periods of time
• Young people seen in different cars or taxis driven by unknown adults
• Young people seeming unfamiliar with your community or where they are
• Truancy, exclusion, disengagement from school
• An increase in antisocial behaviour in the community
• Unexplained injuries
• Is the person who lives at the address vulnerable?
DO YOU HAVE
CONCERNS?
You can report your concerns to the police:
On your county police website
Through the ‘You Know Who’ website youknowwho.info
Call 101 or 999
