Crossing the Line: Rethinking the 'Alpha Victim' - Vulnerability & Policing Futures Research Centre

This is an impact-focused project that draws directly on findings from the Centre’s County lines, Policing and Vulnerability research project.

The project explores the complex realities facing young people caught up in county lines drug trafficking – specifically those labelled ‘alpha-victims’. Research conducted by the Vulnerability and Policing Futures Research Centre highlights how these young people, though coerced or forced into exploiting others, are frequently viewed as offenders rather than victims by criminal justice and safeguarding professionals.

There are multiple factors fuelling this, which include: the complex and shifting nature of young people’s involvement in county lines operations over time; the appearance and demeanour of the alpha-victim, and their response to intervention measures; processes of ‘adultification’ – particularly in relation to Black young men; and conjecture concerning the roles played by females within organised crime groups.

Aims

This project aims to:

Develop a suite of creative, practice-oriented resources that support reflective professional learning and discussion about victimisation and complicity;
Stimulate open conversations about how professionals currently understand and respond to alpha-victims, and potential avenues for policy and practice change;
Challenge assumptions and provide an evidence-informed insight into the adverse childhood experiences and systemic failures that increase the risk of a young person becoming both exploited and an exploiter within drug markets.

The project will be delivered between May 2025 and April 2026.