Reported DS to the police and worrying I’ve made a huge mistake.

[Whatayear23]

I found a large amount of cannabis on my DS today. Way too much for personal use.
I reported it to to the police.

I feel terrible and worry that I’ve done the wrong thing. But I don’t know what else to do.

It’s a really long story but a month ago I had to leave our property with my DCs on advice of the police for our safety due to a video circulating online with our address attached and instructions for retaliation. DS would not give any names of any people involved.

we came home after a week when the police deemed it safe.

DS has received multiple threats of violence and death. And we have had target hardening measures and letterbox protectors installed.

He has been extremely anxious since and is completely convinced that he will be stabbed by these people threatening him who he claims not to know. Won’t give any names to either me or the police.

DS hadn’t been able to leave the house since, and on the one time he did 2 weeks ago (I left him at my sisters) he had 2 men in balaclavas coming in a car for him, he managed to get inside my sisters house. They were angry and came back 3 times apparently. I looked through his phone and it appears that a ‘friend’ had asked him for his whereabouts just before. DS said that it was probably coincidence but seems terrified.

He has 2 friends that he has known since around Christmas time who I have never met and he is very secretive about. He started skipping school a lot around the same time that he met them. I believe they are slightly older than him.

He hadn’t left the house since the incident with the men in balaclavas until Friday evening when a ‘friend’ convinced him to go see him in a taxi. He went and was extremely anxious and nervous beforehand.
Today he then went to meet someone and was gone for an hour or two. He seemed distressed and anxious when he got home so I checked his pockets and found the cannabis.

I told him that I would give it back to him tomorrow but that I wouldn’t be allowing him to bring it into my house, and didn’t mention the amount.

I have contacted the police for advice, and am now worried that I’ve made a huge mistake.

I am really worried that he may be being groomed. He is autistic and very naive.

I don’t even know when the police will come.

No, dont dispose of anything.

Whole.story from your son then what you know to the police. You have other children to think ahout and this has to stop.

But he doesn't owe anything. He'll have been set up with a supposed debt for the sole purpose of enslaving him. They're not going to let him "quit", it's not a job, he has no rights, he didn't necessarily even agree to start and if he did it was because he didn't understand what he was being manipulated into or was too scared to say no. As a slave for years he can earn them megabucks, so the price of his freedom is eg the cost of buying outright an expensive house in a good area or something. The price of his freedom is not the cost of the "debt".

Exactly. Watch the videos I suggested. They’re real horrifying eye openers.

Alfies story - county lines.

Thinking of you and your family, OP. Of course only provide an update if you want to and it's safe to do so. Hoping you all come through this safely and quickly.

I would be extremely concerned that your son is being exploited. I wonder if he has a drug debt. I'd be worried about gangs and county lines.

He sounds like he's at significant risk. It sounds like you all are. I assume you've reported all the incidents with the men in balaclavas? If you haven't, report them now. Ask for a flag to be put on your address on the police system as being at risk.

If he is involved in a gang he won't be able to leave. He will need help. He may have witnessed unpleasant things happen to people who try to leave. I would be absolutely chasing social services because of the risk. Most local authorities have a contextual safeguarding team with expertise in the area. The police will have a team involved in working with exploitation. Both these groups can refer him on to the National Referral Mechanism, which is a register of people potentially at risk of exploitation and modern slavery. Being on the NRM will help the police to see him as a victim rather than a perpetrator if he's picked up.

Have a google for charities involved in gangs and county lines. There are some good ones, but it depends where you are in the country. If you want to pm me a rough area I will look for what is in your area.

But flatly, you need to move away from the area. I work with teens in this situation, and that is what I would do if it was my dc.

Excellent post. OP, I sincerely hope you're able to follow this advice, particularly around getting him on the NRM.

I have read through this thread

I agree with the ones saying that you need to contact the police and stay in constant contact with them and to move.

Surprisingly nobody has pointed out that if your current house is not safe to stay in due to threats of violence you ARE entitled to make a homelessness application and have priority need if your considered to be more vulnerable than the average homeless person.

The levels of violence you could face should be enough to pass the "more vulnerable" threshold, the 16 years olds mental health issues may also be enough to do it.

You can make a homelessness application to any local authority if it is not safe for you to stay in your own area

https://england.shelter.org.uk/professional_resources/legal/homelessness_applications/homeless_application_process

additionally the state does have a duty to protect life under the human rights act so if you believe your in immediate danger call 999 and insist on being temporally relocated.