24 Hours in Police Custody: Lost Boys episode reveals harrowing realities of child exploitation by drug gangs
The harrowing reality of child exploitation by county lines drug gangs is exposed in the latest episode of 24 Hours in Police Custody – which airs this weekend.
Lost Boys is set to be screened on Channel 4 at 9pm on Sunday, July 12, and shines a light on how drugs gangs exploit youngsters to help run their operations.
The show begins with a missing person report from a concerned mum – but the investigation takes a turn when police raid a house believed to be linked to drugs supply.
Camera crews then follow officers as they work to identify the roles of the people involved and find out who is ultimately responsible for running a county drugs line and grooming young boys into carrying out drugs deals on their behalf.
Gary Hales, Investigation Officer, said: “This episode clearly shows how young people, and boys in particular, can be groomed and used by drugs gangs. The problem is that often they don’t realise they are being exploited and that they are victims until it is too late.
“This is a really powerful episode which we hope encourages parents and carers to be alert to signs of exploitation and report any concerns to us. We’re not here to criminalise young people who are victims themselves, as this episode shows we’re interested in finding out who those people are at the very top of the drugs line and ensuring they are brought to justice.
“The exploitation of young boys by county drugs lines is a real issue not only in Bedfordshire but across the country, and that’s why we launched our Lost Boys campaign earlier this month to help educate parents, carers and children on the signs to look out for and where to go for help. If you do have any concerns after watching the episode, I’d encourage you to contact us or visit the Lost Boys page of the Bedfordshire Police website to find out more.”
Bedfordshire Police Lost Boys campaign aims to educate parents, carers and young people alike on the signs of criminal exploitation and the consequences of becoming involved in drug criminality.
The campaign includes a bespoke 30-minute virtual reality film which tells the fictional story of a young boy who is groomed by a member of a drugs gang, with terrible consequences – but as this episode of 24 Hours shows, these situations can be all too real.