'I was targeted by gangs when I was eight'

A man who was targeted by county lines gangs when he was aged eight years old was offered a football and money for the gas bills as an incentive.

Rhys suffered decade of violence and danger before turning his life around when he was 18 and had children of his own.

"My friends were either in prison or dead and I knew I had to change things," he said.

Rhys is now a youth mentor, and is working with the police on a new campaign to help parents spot warning signs that their child is being exploited.

"At home my family were drug users and I wasn't being watched or had any boundaries," said Rhys, 27, who lives in the West of England.

"I was out on the streets and was approached by gangs who asked me to keep things in my bag and answer the phone, and rewarded me with a football and with money for our gas and electricity."

During his teens he was chased with knives and threatened by having his hand hit with a hammer.

Child criminal exploitation is where criminals use children to commit offences for them in exchange for cash and gifts

Wiltshire Police and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner said their Spot the Signs project aims to highlight signs which might indicate a young person is being sucked into gang culture.

Awareness images and videos are being shared on social media and through visits to schools, the force said.

Rhys said the campaign would help spread the word.

" I had a family at 18, and my friends were either in prison or dead so I had to help myself," he added.

He became a barber and then joined the charity Escapeline as a youth mentor working with children and teenagers at risk of exploitation.

Pippa McVeigh, from the neighbourhood harm reduction unit, warned there are a number of signs to watch out for in young people. These include "unusual secretiveness, particularly around devices, mobile phones, social media accounts".

The appearance of high value items, including trainers, phones or an e-scooter, can be another warning sign.

"Children who would normally keep with a fairly regular schedule of going out and coming back home might suddenly be out a lot later and not saying where they are or who they are with," she said.

Supt Doug Downing said exploitation can take many forms, with the crimes being committed by those under duress extending from "drug dealing right the way through to high-value thefts and violence".

"Despite Wiltshire's reputation as a safe county", he urged people not to "rest on our laurels", warning that children in Wiltshire are being exploited.

Those who suspect exploitation is taking place should contact the police.

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