Tajae Tyrell

Bio: Tajae Tyrell is an academic researcher from London South Bank University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Law enforcement & Profit motive. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 17 citations.

Reluctant Gangsters Revisited: The Evolution of Gangs from Postcodes to Profits

Abstract: The aim of the current study was to understand how gangs have changed in the past 10 years since Pitts’ (2008) study in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. The study undertook interviews with 21 practitioners working on gang-related issues and 10 young people affected by gangs or formerly embedded in them. Two focus groups involving 37 participants from key agencies then explored the preliminary findings and contributed to a conceptualization of a new operating model of gangs. The study found that local gangs had evolved into more organized and profit-oriented entities than a decade earlier. The new operating model rejected visible signs of gang membership as ‘bad for business’ because they attracted unwanted attention from law enforcement agencies. Faced with a saturated drugs market in London, gangs moved out to capture drugs markets in smaller UK towns in ‘county lines’ activities. This more business-oriented ethos has changed the meaning of both territory and violence. While gang members in the original study described an emotional connection with their postcode, territory is increasingly regarded as a marketplace to be protected. Similarly, violence has moved from an expressive means of reinforcing gang identity to being increasingly used as an instrumental means of protecting business interests. The current study offers a rare opportunity to gain a picture of gangs at two time periods and contributes to work on the contested nature of UK gangs and renewed interest in gang evolution. These findings have important implications for local authorities and criminal justice agencies who need to address the profit motive of gang activity directly.

The variable and evolving nature of ‘cuckooing’ as a form of criminal exploitation in street level drug markets

Abstract: A form of criminal exploitation rarely mentioned in the academic literature has recently emerged, evolved and taken meaningful hold in the UK. Hundreds of cases of ‘cuckooing’ have been reported, where heroin and crack cocaine dealers associated with the so-called ‘County Lines’ supply methodology have taken over the homes of local residents and created outposts to facilitate their supply operations in satellite locations. Dominant narratives surrounding this practice have stressed its exploitative nature and the vulnerabilities of those involved. Combining qualitative data from two studies, this paper critically analyses the model of cuckooing and the experiences of those affected. In turn it explores the impact of County Lines on affected areas and local populations, a topic that has received little academic scrutiny. Four typologies of cuckooing are constructed, highlighting its variance and complexity. Findings also suggest it to be a growing method of criminal exploitation beyond drug supply with a possible burgeoning presence being realised internationally.

The policing of ‘county lines’ in affected import towns: Exploring local responses to evolving heroin and crack markets

Abstract: Across the UK, markets for heroin and crack cocaine in provincial towns are evolving. Due to the high-profile drug market development termed ‘County Lines’, retail supply in many areas is now seemingly dominated by ‘out of town’ dealers who have established ‘import’ markets often far from their native city. Associated with this are significant harms and implications for affected local areas. This thesis presents findings of an exploratory ethnographic study that investigated how County Lines was being understood and responded to at a local level. The research was undertaken in two phases. The first involved in-depth interviews with police officers tasked with responding to the County Lines ‘problem’ in their force area. The second phase consisted of a period of in-depth ethnographic fieldwork with a different police force, using participant observation and further interviewing with officers and those working for other agencies in affected provincial towns. Three narrative literature review chapters set the theoretical foundations for the thesis. Critical discussions are provided in relation to drug markets, the specific development of County Lines and the policing of drug markets. The subsequent empirical chapters build on this, contributing to gaps in knowledge regarding the nature of these evolving drug markets and how this market development is being understood and responded to at a local level. It is argued that much of the policing of County Lines, whether it be through new or traditional approaches, can be considered ‘symbolic’. A somewhat organic shift towards applying harm reduction principles to this market context is also noted, with the enduring challenges associated with such a policing approach also highlighted. In addition to empirically and theoretically developing these two extant drug policing perspectives, the thesis therefore contributes to the growing focus on County Lines, adding deep insight into how this burgeoning outreach drug supply model is specifically affecting local markets, their actors and those responding to it.