Cross-boundary lines remain relevant, but local distribution can reduce the visibility of travel-based indicators.
Safeguarding and policing intelligence
Youth & county lines
Population prevalence, specialist-treatment demand, exploitation risk and the latest national programme results in one operational view.
Any drug use15.1%Age 16–24 · CSEW
In treatment16,212+13% year on year
Cannabis86%Of young people in treatment
Ketamine9%1,465 young people
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County Lines Programme results
Latest cumulative management information from funded law-enforcement activity
Line closures4,556July 2024–March 2026
Arrests12,697Programme-funded activity
Safeguarding referrals6,939At least · programme activity
Knives seized1,900Knives / sharp objects
2,821line holders charged
882children and young people supported by the specialist service
The NCA assesses that the number of county lines was broadly stable between 2024 and 2025, while distribution became more localised and social-media lines increased significantly. There is no current official national total for every active line. Closures measure programme activity and should not be presented as the size of the whole market.
Open Home Office data ↗Treatment profile
Substances recorded
Market adaptation
What police and commissioners should watch
Recruitment, advertising and order-taking are moving further into online and encrypted spaces.
Track repeat exploitation, service engagement and safety after enforcement, not line closure alone.
Operational intersections
Safeguarding priorities
Exploitation and debtCoercion and threats may present as offending rather than safeguarding need.
School exclusionReduced protective structure can increase exposure to market activity.
Violence and cuckooingWeapons, robbery and home takeover require coordinated assessment.
Hidden treatment needYoung people may not approach specialist services without assertive pathways.
Local intelligence specification
Minimum commissioner and police dataset
Known lines, social-media handles, drug types, deal formats and changes in geography.
Age, missing episodes, school exclusion, debt, threats, transport routes and repeat referrals.
Weapons, violence, sexual exploitation, cuckooing, overdose and mental-health presentations.
Closures, charges, safeguarding outcomes, treatment access, return to exploitation and service retention.
Sex, ethnicity, neurodiversity, care experience, housing status and rural access where lawful and proportionate.
How to read programme figures
The Home Office figures are quality-assured management information supplied by forces and the National County Lines Coordination Centre, but they may be revised. One line holder can control several lines, and a closure does not necessarily mean exploitation or supply has ended.
Method and definitions ↗