Before The Gangs Get There

On the surface, it begins like an ordinary story.

A young person meets someone older. They seem friendly. They ask for a favour. They offer belonging, money, attention.

Then the requests change.

Within minutes, the children watching begin to understand something more unsettling: how easily a young person can be groomed into criminal activity.

This is the premise of Crossing the Line, a powerful theatre programme now touring primary schools across Yorkshire and Derbyshire. Beginning on 2 March, the production is visiting schools in Bradford, Leeds, Wakefield and Derby, where it will reach more than 1,300 pupils at what educators increasingly recognise as a critical age for prevention.

Created by Rochdale-based production company Breaking Barriers, the programme is designed specifically for Year 5 and Year 6 pupils — children aged nine to eleven — before many encounter the pressures and manipulation linked to criminal exploitation.

And in Yorkshire, those risks are far from abstract.

Across the UK, county lines drug networks continue to rely on the grooming and exploitation of young people to move drugs and money between towns and cities. The Home Office estimates that around 15,500 children were identified as at risk of or involved in criminal exploitation in the year ending March 2025, though officials warn the true scale is likely far higher.

County lines operations often involve organised gangs exporting drugs such as crack cocaine and heroin across police force boundaries, using children and vulnerable adults to transport and store drugs and cash through coercion, intimidation and violence.

Northern cities and towns have long been key targets for these networks. Police forces across Yorkshire have carried out repeated operations to disrupt drug lines and safeguard vulnerable young people, including arrests, property searches and targeted safeguarding visits.

Against this backdrop, educators and safeguarding professionals increasingly stress the importance of early intervention - helping children understand exploitation before they encounter it.

That is the space Crossing the Line aims to occupy.

Funded by the National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC), the programme is delivered free of charge to schools. It combines live theatre, film and guided discussion to help pupils recognise the warning signs of grooming, understand peer pressure and know where to seek help.

At the centre of the programme is a 20-minute monologue following a young person drawn into criminal activity. Performed live in schools, the piece traces the subtle progression from friendship to manipulation - showing how exploitation can begin with seemingly harmless requests before escalating into something far more dangerous.

The performance forms part of a wider educational package. Pupils watch a pre-session film, take part in facilitated discussions and complete follow-up classroom activities designed to help teachers continue conversations about grooming, peer pressure and healthy relationships.

Evidence suggests the approach is working.

Evaluation shows awareness of grooming among pupils increases by 60 per cent after participating in the programme, while understanding of peer pressure rises by 33 per cent - demonstrating the impact of combining creative storytelling with structured discussion.

This spring’s tour will deliver 19 sessions across 14 schools in Bradford, Leeds, Wakefield and Derby.

It builds on a programme that has already reached more than 13,000 pupils across the UK since 2019, with over 200 schools taking part - a sign of growing demand from educators for preventative, age-appropriate safeguarding education.

For Parvez Qadir, Artistic Director of Breaking Barriers, the expansion into Yorkshire reflects the reality that exploitation is no longer confined to big cities. “We are incredibly proud to see Crossing the Line expand into Yorkshire,” he said.

“The project was created in direct response to the growing issue of child criminal exploitation and the grooming of young people into criminal activity - something affecting communities across the country.

“Having already engaged over 200 schools, we have seen how powerful honest, creative storytelling can be in helping young people recognise the signs of exploitation and understand where to seek advice and support.”

Superintendent Dan Mitchell from the NCLCC said prevention must start with awareness: “Education and prevention are vital to tackling the threat posed by exploitative County Lines drug networks,” he said.

“Breaking Barriers’ approach brings together powerful, engaging theatre with tailored support for educators and school safeguarding staff, followed by workshops that help children consolidate and apply their learning.

“The theatre production engages pupils in an age-appropriate way, without diluting the seriousness of the message, and the accompanying workshops and activity resources provide real depth and long-term value.

“The NCLCC is proud to support this initiative, and we look forward to hearing the feedback from the schools taking part.”

Schools that have hosted the programme say its impact goes beyond the performance.

Tracy Heaton, Headteacher at Marus Bridge Primary School in Wigan, said the sessions helped pupils feel more confident asking questions and understanding where to turn for help. “Our pupils were so very lucky to take part in Crossing the Line last year and got so much from watching the monologue, then taking part in a collective workshop and discussion session with the Breaking Barriers team and having the chance to ask questions in a safe environment,” she explained.

“Knowing how to access support is vital to their safety. A very positive, practical and constructive way to teach our young people how to keep themselves safe in the community, and they are back with us again this year to work with all of our Year 5 and 6 children. Highly recommended.”

Breaking Barriers is an award-winning production company based in Rochdale that creates theatre, immersive experiences and film addressing complex social issues affecting young people, including child criminal exploitation, domestic abuse, hate crime and youth violence.

Its work focuses on amplifying unheard voices and delivering creative interventions that educate and empower young audiences. Previous collaborations span police forces, local authorities and schools across the UK.

For many pupils watching Crossing the Line, the story unfolding on stage may be the first time they encounter the realities of exploitation.

But the hope is simple — that it will also be the moment they learn how to recognise it, question it, and step away before the line is ever crossed.

Schools interested in booking future sessions or learning more can contact Abigail Hellam, Tour Producer, at breakingbarrierstours@gmail.com.

‍

Header Image: Kamran Zahid. Crossing the Line Tour - from Breaking Barriers