Becoming cuckooed: conceptualising the relationship between disability, home takeovers and criminal exploitation

Abstract

This article explores the phenomenon whereby disabled people’s homes are being occupied (i.e. cuckooed) by local perpetrators and/or county lines organised criminal groups. This study employs a qualitative biographical methodology that collects data from disabled people who have been victimised this way and practitioners who have worked with them. The findings illustrate that social isolation, loneliness and a lack of community services can create a space where the exploitation of disabled people can flourish. We conclude by demonstrating that cuckooing predominantly occurs at a local level, perpetrated by local people, rather than by county lines organised criminal groups; that, in fact, local cuckooing can predate county lines takeovers.

POINTS OF INTEREST

• Cuckooing refers to an individual or a group of individuals targeting a person with the intent of taking over their homes.

• Cuckooing has gained recent media attention because of its association with county lines, which describes how organised criminals develop new drug markets in areas that have traditionally not had a drug problem.

• The findings suggest that cuckooing occurs because disabled people often find themselves socially isolated within their communities which leaves them at risk of exploitation.

• This article suggests that cuckooing is not just a method of exploitation employed by county lines organised criminal groups, but it is, more commonly, a problem associated with the exploitation of disabled people at a local level by local people.

• The research illustrates that this form of crime occurs through a lack of adult services, arising because of nationally driven austerity policies, and this leads to disabled people being identified as ‘easy targets’ who have homes that are valuable resources/commodities for others to use and exploit.

Keywords:

• Cuckooing
• home takeover
• mate crime
• county lines
• local gangs
• organised criminal groups (OCGs)

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.