10.1.4 The Tell Tale Signs
Last updated 12/11/2018
The Tell Tale Signs
Below are some of the signs that indicate that a young person maybe involved or at risk of becoming involved in serious and organised crime via criminal exploitation:
- Withdrawn from family
- Sudden loss of interest in school, decline in attendance or academic achievement
- Use of new or unknown slang words
- Holds unexplained money or possessions or cannot explain where large sums of money have gone (financial exploitation)
- Staying out unusually late without reason
- Sudden change in appearance – dressing in a particular style or ‘uniform’ or colour similar to that of other young people they hang around with
- Dropped out of positive activities
- New nickname
- Unexplained physical injuries
- Graffiti style ‘tags’ on possessions, school books, walls
- Constant mention of other young people or adults who seems to have a lot of influence over them
- Broken off with old friends and hangs around with one group of people
- Increased use of social networking sites
- Use of certain codes of group behaviour e.g. ways of talking and hand signs
- Expressing aggressive or intimidating views towards other groups of young people, some of whom may have been friends in the past
- Signs of sexual exploitation e.g. pregnancy, abortion (perhaps forced), sexually transmitted infections and injuries
- Signs of psychological effects of exploitation – depression and suicide attempts for example
- Fearful when entering certain areas
- Concerned by the presence of unknown youths in their neighbourhoods
(DCSF, Safeguarding Children &Young People who may be affected by Gang Activity, 2010)