Gangs are grooming vulnerable children to deal drugs and rewarding them with e-cigarettes, youth workers have said.
One organisation which supports young people aged 14 to 25 affected by criminal exploitation and violence, has described how children as young as 12 were getting hooked on disposable vapes.
“They want to look cool but [vapes] are highly addictive,” said Joanna Tweddle, of Edge North East, in Newcastle. “I work with a number of young children and I have one who will do anything for a vape pen. He has been asked to deal drugs and an Elf Bar is his reward at the end of it.
“This particular boy is obsessed with them — he wants them all the time. If someone tells him, ‘Go and pick this bag up and we’ll give you a vape’, he is more than happy to deliver some drugs.”
Elf Bars are non-refillable vape pens that can be bought for as little as £5. Each contains two milligrams of nicotine salt and about 600 “puffs” — the equivalent of smoking up to 40 cigarettes.
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Available in 40 flavours, they have been the “starting exchange” for children being exploited in several areas across England including the East Midlands and Hampshire.
Tweddle told The Times: “We have a lot of young people who want things their friends have. A lot of children come from families that don’t have much money. Obviously the cost of living has gone up. They want vapes and trainers but to get them they risk being groomed.”
One regional prevention officer who works with care leavers reported how pupils aged 11 and 12 had said that older teenagers and adults were boarding buses during school time to offer them “free vapes” — raising fears this could be linked to grooming for exploitation.
Another youth worker said: “There are 12 and 13-year-olds using disposable vapes — I see it all the time. It seems to be a trend.” Vapes being used to target children was specifically mentioned in October by nearly one in ten professionals focused on preventing financial exploitation in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, according to the Children’s Society.
Rachel Collins-White, head of frontline services at Unseen UK, an anti-slavery charity that runs the Modern Slavery helpline, explained how organised gangs exploit victims’ vulnerabilities and seek to create false relationships.
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She said: “It veers into the sophistication of the grooming tactics and what the vulnerable child or adult might want or need, is lacking or aspire to. It could be particular clothing, phone or trainers in particular, things that often feel out of people’s reach.
“An organised gang is able to use that as leverage and create a false sense of a loving relationship, [telling them] ‘I’ve got your back, we’re always here for you’.”
Lynn Perry, the chief executive of Barnardo’s, said frontline workers at the children’s charity were “aware of a variety of techniques used to coerce vulnerable children and young people into criminal activity, including offering them vape pens and e-cigarettes”.
She said: “Too many children are at risk from criminal exploitation and, in some cases, opportunities to spot the signs and step in early are being missed.”
