UCL placement student Zenia Shanze shares her research on cuckooing
- anoushakarim
- Apr 16
- 5 min read
Updated: Apr 23
Careers
Zenia Shanze, Intern
Wednesday 16 April 2025
Crest Advisory regularly partners with University College London’s Micro-Placement Programme to host students for six-month placements alongside their studies. During their time with us, students gain hands-on experience across our three practices — Consulting, Think Tank, and Inquiries — and have the opportunity to develop an independent research project on a topic that sparks their interest. The blog below was written by our 2024/25 placement student, Zenia Shanze, who chose to explore the growing trend of cuckooing and the recent efforts to tackle it through the Crime and Policing Bill.
A home’s locked front door is meant to keep danger out, but for victims of cuckooing, it traps them inside — isolated, controlled, and afraid.
What is cuckooing and how does it happen?
Cuckooing is a form of exploitation in which criminals gradually gain control over a vulnerable person’s home, using it as a base for criminal activities such as drug trafficking, sex work, storing weapons and other similar offences [1]. It is often associated with county lines, where gangs from larger cities seek to expand drug distribution into smaller towns and rural communities without attracting police attention.
Although cuckooing initially emerged through county line operations originating in London, it has since evolved and spread more broadly, becoming a widely adopted tactic among local drug networks across the UK. Interestingly, despite its origins, some local authorities in London report that the majority of cuckooing cases they encounter are now linked to independent, localised drug operations rather than county lines networks [2].
The term “cuckooing” borrows its name from the cuckoo bird, known for secretly laying its eggs in other birds’ nests, tricking the unsuspecting host into raising chicks that aren’t their own [3]. In much the same way, these criminals insert themselves into the lives and homes of their victims.
Offenders often approach victims under the guise of friendship, care, or even romantic interest, carefully building trust and dependency. After establishing this relationship, perpetrators move directly into the victim's home—typically without genuine consent—and rapidly exert control through intimidation, manipulation, threats, or violence. Victims quickly lose autonomy over their living space, as criminals openly occupy their homes and run illicit activities from within [4].
Who is at risk and what is the impact?
Cuckooing disproportionately targets vulnerable people already on the margins of society. It typically begins with criminals identifying individuals who may be particularly vulnerable due to factors such as [5]:
Current or past substance abuse
Previous connections or involvement with gang activities
Unsafe living environment
Poverty
History of being placed in care
Mental health challenges
Physical disabilities
Experiences of neglect and/or abuse (either physical or sexual)
Elderly individuals–often socially isolated
Individuals with cognitive impairments or learning disabilities
single parents–particularly single mothers
Individuals engaged in sex work etc.
The targets are typically individuals who are least likely to have anyone checking in on them.
The perpetrators don’t just take over the property; they take over the victim’s life, making sure they’re too dependent or too terrified to resist. By the time authorities intervene—if they ever do—the victim has lost their home, their sense of safety, their will to fight back, and in some cases, their life [6].
Gangs also often employ a strategy called "debt bondage," in which a real or fabricated debt is leveraged to control individuals. The gang demands "repayment" of this supposed debt, using coercion, intimidation, or threats to force the victim into surrendering control of their home as a form of settlement [8].
The legal response and challenges ahead
For years, addressing cuckooing was legally complex, because no specific offence covered the crime. Policing had to rely on a patchwork of existing charges such as trespassing, drug offences, coercion, and, in some cases, modern slavery laws to prosecute offenders. Civil injunctions were sometimes used to remove perpetrators from victims’ homes, but these measures were slow, bureaucratic, and often ineffective in deterring repeat offenders [9].
The Crime and Policing Bill 2025 marks a significant shift in tackling cuckooing. This legislation explicitly criminalises cuckooing, providing policing with a clear legal framework to prosecute offenders. The bill defines cuckooing as “the practice whereby criminals take over the home of another person without their consent to perpetrate illegal activity” [10]. With this legal clarity, authorities now have a direct mechanism to intervene, remove perpetrators, and protect victims without needing to rely on unrelated offences.
In theory, this should lead to swifter interventions and more effective prosecutions. However, legislation alone might not be enough to eradicate the issue. The effectiveness of this law will depend on enforcement, available resources, and victim cooperation–factors that have historically posed challenges [11].
Victims of cuckooing often struggle with complex vulnerabilities which can make them reluctant to engage with authorities [12]. Many fear retaliation from perpetrators or distrust the police due to past experiences and some do not recognise or acknowledge their exploitation (refer case study above). Without victim cooperation, securing convictions under the new legislation remains a challenge.
To strengthen the law’s effectiveness, well-defined guidelines are essential. Establishing uniform procedures for identifying and responding to cuckooing cases, and developing clear guidance on handling non-cooperation from victims will be crucial. The police must be equipped with alternative investigative strategies to build strong cases without direct victim testimony, ensuring that prosecutions are not solely reliant on victim cooperation [13]. Additionally, structured intervention protocols should outline how to gain victim trust, provide necessary safeguarding measures, and encourage reporting through community engagement and multi-agency collaboration [14].
The community also plays a crucial role in combating cuckooing. community members can act as the eyes and ears of their neighbourhoods, identifying and reporting suspicious activities that may indicate exploitation. Educational initiatives, such as the toolkit developed by researchers at the University of Leeds [15], equip residents with the knowledge to recognise signs of cuckooing happening in their neighbourhood
The Crime and Policing Bill 2025 represents a major step forward, giving policing the legal backing needed to prosecute offenders more effectively. For this law to truly make a difference however, authorities must ensure it is enforced consistently. With continued monitoring and adaptation, the legislation has the potential to disrupt cuckooing networks and provide long-overdue protection to those most at risk.
References
[1] Torbay and Devon Safeguarding Adults Partnership (accessed: 2025)
[3] Ealing Council-Cuckooing (accessed: 2025)
[10] Crime and Policing Bill Explanatory Notes, 2025
[12] Centre for Social Justice, 2021
[13] Prosecution without relying on victim cooperation (accessed: 2025)
[14] University of Leeds: Information booklet for professionals, 2024
We have hosted placement students from a variety of different backgrounds. In recent years we’ve welcomed graduates from the Police Now and Unlocked programmes, as well as those from the Civil Service Fast Stream. Every summer we welcome Micro-Placement students from City, University of London. You can read about their experiences on our Careers page.
If you’re interested in doing a placement with us, please get in touch at contact@crestadvisory.com and we can discuss in more detail.
For graduates, or anyone at the beginning of their working career, we run six-month internships on a regular basis for those who have an interest in crime and justice and who want to learn more about the sector. To find out more, please see the Internship section on our Careers page.
