As a career Detective with 20+ years’ Policing experience, Dan Mitchell worked in a variety of Detective roles across Frontline Policing CID & Proactive Units, Specialist Crime including Flying Squad, Modern Slavery & Kidnap Unit and Counter Terrorism. Passionate about bringing offenders to justice and protecting vulnerable people, Dan most recently led the Met Police County Lines Taskforce (Op Orochi), London Lines (Yamata) and Social Media (Alpha) teams. Amongst significant operational successes, Dan built a strong effective partnership with Rescue & Response, to better safeguard children caught up in County Lines. 

Lib Peck is the Director of the Mayor of London’s Violence Reduction Unit.

Prior to that Lib was the elected leader of Lambeth Council for six years, setting the strategic and political direction for the borough. During her leadership, she prioritised Lambeth’s pioneering work on challenging violence against women and girls and supported the development of a public health approach towards violence.

As a London leader, Lib was the deputy chair for London Councils, a body representing all London Councils, and led on Crime and Public Protection. She was also the deputy labour leader of the Local Government Association. Lib was a councillor for 18 years before stepping down to take up her role as Director of the VRU.

Detective Inspector Adam Norton is the Regional Coordinator for the National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC) in the North West of England. Based at the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit, Adam leads on providing strategic support, operational guidance, and expert advice to police forces and partner agencies across Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Merseyside, and North Wales.

Adam has previously held a variety of roles, working for Cheshire Constabulary, that have shaped his understanding of serious and organised crime. His current work focuses on enhancing the regional response to County Lines, fostering collaboration, and driving effective disruption and safeguarding strategies.

I currently serve as the Detective Superintendent and Head of Serious and Organised Crime for West Yorkshire Police.

I began my policing career in 2000 with South Yorkshire Police, where I held a variety of roles, primarily within CID. I was promoted to Sergeant on Sheffield Patrol—an invaluable experience that reconnected me with the fast-paced demands of frontline policing after over a decade in CID.

I later returned to CID as a Detective Sergeant and Detective Inspector within Specialist Crime Services. During this time, I served as an Intelligence Manager and Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) on a dedicated team tackling firearms discharges linked to Organised Crime Groups.

In 2018, I undertook a secondment to the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit, leading the Undercover Online team. I’m proud to have contributed to this high-impact work, targeting some of the most dangerous offenders both nationally and internationally.

In March 2022, I transferred to West Yorkshire Police on promotion to Detective Chief Inspector, serving as Crime Manager in Kirklees. I thoroughly enjoyed returning to district policing, working alongside exceptional colleagues to address daily operational challenges.

In July 2023, I was promoted to my current role. I am deeply passionate about tackling Serious and Organised Crime, recognising its far-reaching impact on communities. I value the collaborative efforts across specialist capabilities, local Precision teams, Neighbourhood Policing, Safeguarding, and both internal and external partners. I look forward to continuing this vital work and embracing the opportunities ahead.

Abi Billinghurst is the founder and CEO of Abianda, a pioneering London-based organisation that supports young women and girls affected by criminal exploitation and violence. Since founding Abianda in 2011, Abi has led the organisation’s growth and mission to transform how services are delivered to girls and young women. She brings over 20 years of experience working with and managing services for vulnerable young people across the violence against women and girls, youth, and criminal justice sectors. Abi has dedicated her career to creating inclusive, participatory models of practice and is focused on effecting a culture change in how services are designed and delivered to young women, ensuring that their voices are central to the decision-making process.

Charlie is a Lived Experience Consultant with personal insight into the criminal justice system, care system, and exploitation – including grooming into county lines and modern-day slavery. Charlie spent over ten years caught in that cycle before becoming a successful diversion case after receiving a positive National Referral Mechanism (NRM) decision. For the past five years, Charlie has worked alongside various organisations to drive meaningful change. Their focus includes addressing the school-to-prison pipeline, improving liaison and diversion services, and shaping policy through the lens of lived experience. Charlie now works with Abianda as a Criminal Justice Consultant, where they provide lived experience feedback and contribute to wider policy work and service design.

Clare has held a variety of roles, working across the Local Authority and Law enforcement. Her current role focuses on the joint collaboration of partners to ensure the safeguarding of young people within a county lines task force at BTP. Clare has previously worked for law enforcement being part of many online child sexual exploitation investigations ensuring victims remain the focus.

Clare has experience working with perpetrators of domestic abuse to implement change using CBT and survivors to empower them and ensure they were supported to enable them to be free from further risk.

Clare holds a Bachelor’s Degree in social work and has passed the SPE and NIE exams. She also holds ABE and National grading accreditation.

I am a secondary education leader with over 20 years of experience working in schools across West Yorkshire, particularly within communities facing significant social and economic challenges. Over the years, I’ve held a range of roles, including strategic leadership and alternative provision. In my current role as Commissioning Lead for the Bradford SAFE Taskforce, I support the development and implementation of strategic commissioning approaches that aim to improve outcomes for vulnerable young people. Additionally, I coordinate the Alternative Provision Specialist Taskforce, working to ensure that young people at risk of exclusion receive the tailored support they need to thrive.

Dr. Chris Devany is a postdoctoral researcher at the Vulnerability & Policing Futures Research Centre at the University of York, with a background in sociology. The ESRC-funded Vulnerability & Policing Futures Research Centre aims to reshape how the police and other organisations work together to reduce harm among vulnerable people in society. His research career has focused on how traditionally marginalised groups and people experiencing vulnerabilities are impacted by policy reform. He has expertise in engaging with these groups and was part of the project team for the first national study of policing practices and responses to vulnerability in county lines and local drug markets in the UK. Dr. Devany is also interested in the policing and regulation of street homelessness and the meaning and use of ‘vulnerability’ in public service provision.