Crime and Policing Bill to include offences of child criminal exploitation and cuckooing

The Government is to include a ban on ‘cuckooing’ and a standalone offence of child criminal exploitation (CCE) in its Crime and Policing Bill, which is to be introduced in Parliament in the next week.

The Home Office said cuckooing was “a highly exploitative practice where criminals seize control of a vulnerable person’s home without consent to conduct illegal activities like drug dealing”.

The second new offence will be created against adults who use a child to commit criminal activity.

The Home Office said current estimates showed that approximately 14,500 children were identified as at risk or involved in child criminal exploitation in 2023 to 2024, but suggested that this was “likely an underestimate as many exploited children will not be known to authorities”.

It noted that under current legislation, only a small number of individuals have been charged for using children in criminal activity.

“This standalone CCE offence will therefore look to target those adults who unscrupulously groom and exploit children into criminal activity, such as county lines drug running or organised robbery, as well as increasing the opportunities for children to be identified,” the Home Office said.

Those convicted of committing a CCE offence could face a maximum of 10 years in prison.

The cuckooing offence will meanwhile carry a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison.

Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, said: “As part of our Plan for Change, we are introducing these two offences to properly punish those who prey on them, ensure victims are properly protected and prevent these often-hidden crimes from occurring in the first place.

“These steps are vital in our efforts to stop the grooming and exploitation of children into criminal gangs, deliver on our pledge to halve knife crime in the next decade and work towards our overall mission to make our streets safer.”

Cooper said the new legislation also includes the creation of new CCE prevention orders, which may be issued at the end of criminal proceedings or upon application by police.

“These bespoke orders will ensure that courts can impose restrictions and requirements on individuals who pose a risk of exploiting a child for criminal purposes, such as limiting their ability to work with children, contact specific people or go to a certain area,” the Home Secretary said.

“This will help manage the risk of offending, or reoffending, and breach of these orders (or failure to comply with any relevant notification requirements) will also be a criminal offence, with a maximum penalty of five years in prison.”

Baroness Anne Longfield, Executive Chair of the Centre for Young Lives, said the change in the law was “long overdue, very welcome, and will save lives”.

Dame Rachel de Souza, The Children’s Commissioner, said: “Many children targeted by adult criminals themselves face punishment instead of support. Like too many child victims, they are often ignored and overlooked. Their voices and experiences must be listened to, if we are to create a child-centric justice system that puts safeguarding at its heart.

“Introducing this new offence and new prevention orders will help create that much needed clarity that exploited children are victims. I hope this will enable professionals to intervene at far earlier stages of intervention, backed by plans to create a unique identifying number for every child that helps services identify those in need of support.”