A WOMAN forced to sleep on the kitchen floor of her own home and a 93-year-old great-grandmother are among the “hidden” Surrey victims of a little-known form of exploitation, Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend said.
Cuckooing involves criminals taking over the homes of vulnerable people to use for offences including sex work and county lines drug dealing.
Lisa partly funds Surrey’s gold-standard Cuckooing Service, run by Catalyst Support, contributing £54,000 from her Community Safety Fund in the past financial year.
The service supports victims, provides advice to those at risk and helps prevent the risk of a property being closed by the courts.
Great-gran cuckooed
Since it launched in 2018, it has received 518 referrals from across the county. Of the vulnerable people supported, 14 per cent lived in accommodation that they either privately rented or owned, seven per cent were aged 70 or above, and 15 per cent had no history of drug or alcohol misuse.
One victim, who lost the use of her own bedroom and was forced to sleep in her kitchen, begged police officers for help after a chance sighting in the street. Another returned home to find a drug production line in their property, while a third victim’s contact details were sold to an inmate in prison as part-payment for synthetic cannabis Spice.
Lisa said: “Cuckooing is a deeply disturbing form of exploitation that can affect people of all backgrounds.
“However, victims are usually vulnerable in some way, with single mums, victims of domestic abuse, those with a history of substance misuse, sex workers and young people who have experienced the care system all among those most likely to be cuckooed.
“Criminals take advantage of this vulnerability in the cruellest possible way, by turning safe refuges into prisons.
Victim’s details sold in prison
“The harm caused to these victims is devastating, although cuckooing can impact entire communities. In fact, police often become aware of cuckooing when neighbours call in severe anti-social behaviour.
“Troublingly, most victims of cuckooing will remain hidden, both from police and from agencies poised to help them out of danger, like Catalyst Support’s fantastic Cuckooing Service.
“But if you’re in this terrible situation, there are ways out. In the past year, Catalyst Support has disrupted 15 organised criminal groups, known as OCGs, and 34 local drug dealers.
“They are changing lives, and I urge anyone in need of their support in Surrey to get in touch.
Commissioner’s pride
“This is a gold-standard, nationally –recognised service, and I’m incredibly proud to fund it.”
Cuckooing service manager at Catalyst Support, Keely Glithero, said: “Cuckooing becoming a crime is key for victims, so that this abhorrent act is recognised.
“To the perpetrators, it sends the message that this is not acceptable and to the victims, that they are being seen.
“Our service provides empowering, trustful support, improving community safety and the resilience of adults at risk. We also work with perpetrators.”
For more information, visit catalystsupport.org.uk, call 01483 590150, or text 07909 631623.
Lisa Townsend, in yellow, and her Deputy Commissioner Ellie Vesey-Thompson, on right, visited the Cuckooing Service to learn more about the impact on victims