Background: Violence has been viewed as intrinsic or ‘systemic’ (Goldstein, 1985; Reuter, 2009) to drug markets, with a number of types of systemic violence prevalent, including territorial or ‘turf’ wars between dealers; robberies of drug dealers or users (or ‘user-dealers’); disputes over debts; punishment of suspected informers and punishment of workers within dealing hierarchies. The emergence and identification of the County Lines model in the UK has also been linked to increases in the exploitation of young people and vulnerable adults for selling, storing or transporting illicit drugs, often through threats, violence and coercion.
Objectives: This paper draws on a national, two-year research project focusing on the policing of County Lines in exploring different perspectives on, experiences with and responses to drug market-related violence in this context.
Methods: The analysis is based on interviews with senior officers across 44 territorial police forces in the UK, as well as additional interviews in three case study areas with front-line officers, partner agencies and people with lived experiences (n=117).
Results: Our findings point to the exploitation of young people and vulnerable adults as a prominent feature of drug market-related violence in the UK. Furthermore, we point to emergent, although sometimes implicit, harm reduction policing responses to this.
Implications: We argue for the need to situate violence and threats directed at young people and vulnerable adults involved in drug markets as a central part of drug market-related violence and for the need to further develop harm reduction policing responses to this.