According to a report in The Telegraph, children as young as nine are being lured into crime by opportunistic gang members intent on involving youngsters in illegal activity for their own gain.
Recruiting the children with the promise of new trainers and tracksuits, senior gang members send their new recruits on errands which involve selling drugs before returning them within an appropriate time frame so as not to arouse suspicion.
The report which emerged from a Home Office study outlines the senior gang members' modus operandi when dealing with the youngsters, asserting: "The gang members take the child away to participate in criminal activities and return them in time to avoid them being reported missing or raising suspicion."
The report, which analysed findings from 33 areas around England and Wales, asserts that the involvement of children under the age of 11 is relatively rare with findings indicating that it is specific to certain area of the country's capital.
"Reports of gang members aged nine or younger were almost exclusively from a small number of survey respondents in London," it reads.
Explaining the 'elders' typical approach, one interviewee revealed: "We know of cases where gang members have been waiting outside schools to meet children. They recruit them with the lure of earning money or being given new trainers, tracksuits and then use these runners to deal for them."
According to the jarring report, sexual violence among rival gangs is commonplace, with an interviewee explaining: "The worrying thing for me is that you'll get the guys that will be talking about having group sex with vulnerable girls. Then you'll have the girls talking about it as well, but both will refer to it as though it was a normal thing."
With gangs currently operating in a more covert manner, Home Office minister, Karen Bradley, has announced a new policy which aims to tackle gang-related violence and exploitation.
