Child criminal exploitation in Essex "growing year on year"
Greatest Hits Radio Essex has been speaking to the county's police public protection manager, Stuart Smith
Last updated 8th Nov 2024
Essex police have said child exploitation across the county's public transport is an "absolute concern".
Essex Safeguarding Children Board (ESCB), alongside partners, has been raising awareness of child exploitation in a campaign called Operation Henderson.
The campaign is targeting Essex transport hubs, educating staff, young people and businesses about spotting signs of exploitation on public transport, in a bid to bring it to an end.
Essex Police is among several organisations that take part in the twice-yearly campaign.
Their Public Protection Investigation Unit manager, Stuart Smith, tells us "railways are used by county lines to move drugs" because of their "anonymity".
"The intelligence shows children can be dropped at one station, move up the line, and be picked up at another station by the criminal organisation.
"We must remember if a child is moving drugs from A to B, they are vulnerable to attack by another organised crime group", says Mr Smith.
"They may actually be selling the drugs.
Children are "less likely to get stopped. If they do get stopped, they are less likely to get a severe criminal sentence", Mr Smith tells us.
"We mustn't forget these children are being groomed, they are not suspects themselves."
A spokesperson from the ESCB says:
"Young people often gravitate towards stations because they are traditionally busy, anonymous places that also provide some form of shelter and access to food and drink."
"Bus and rail networks can also be used by offenders to traffic young people for the purpose of sexual and criminal exploitation."
Essex police have explained some of the signs to look out for:
"Aggressive exchanges, acting in a way that seems out of place, seeing children at an unusual time, non-age appropriate sexual appearance, and wearing expensive clothes.
"Young pople will receive payment in cash, or clothing.
"But it's not one thing, it's a number of different things that raise concern.", says Mr Smith.
Child Sexual Exploitation in Essex
Offenders use bus and rail networks to traffic young people for sexual exploitation too, said Mr Smith.
Latest figures show cases of child sexual exploitation (CSE) are actually declining across the county.
In September 2024, there were 47 recorded CSE crimes in Essex, compared to 88 in 2023, and 100 in 2022.
Despite cases falling in Essex, Stuart Smith warns this may not be representative.
"I emphasise the recorded because it is accepted that CSE is widely under reported.
"Victims do not see themselves as victims. They do not see themselves needing safeguarding."
"Although it's falling, it's a false representation.
"When we have people that don't report the crimes, or don't see themselves as victims, we will proactively investigate those. Sometimes without the cooperation of the victim."
"We hold a large priority in this area and want to remind people the children themselves are not the criminals."