New dedicated police team to tackle child exploitation in Doncaster

Every child deserves to have a happy and safe childhood. While thankfully, this is the case for most children, sadly there are criminals who will take advantage of them for their own gain.

Criminal gangs will often target vulnerable young people and groom them – offering money, gifts, drugs or alcohol or even affection. They then use this to convince their victims to do something for them, or for their associates.

Our campaign encourages people to look past any misconceptions they may have around a ‘typical’ victim or offender. These offences can be committed by men and women of all ages and backgrounds. And any young person call fall victim to sexual or criminal exploitation.

Many children who are being exploited do not realise they are being abused, which is why it’s vital that people around them are aware of what to look out for.

In order to successfully tackle child exploitation in all its forms, we need people to come forward and share their concerns with us. Each piece of intelligence helps to form a fuller picture, which enables us to identify young people who are being abused in this way, along with the perpetrators.

We want people to be aware of the early warning signs of the different forms of child exploitation including child criminal exploitation (CCE), child sexual exploitation (CSE) and county lines drug dealing. These can be subtle, and the young person may exhibit one or many of them. Some of the changes you might see if a child is being exploited can include a sudden change of behaviour, becoming more secretive, having a new older partner, missing school, receiving unexplained gifts and a new interest or reliance on drugs or alcohol.

Since the pandemic, there has also been an increase in online grooming, with criminals approaching children through their social media accounts or even online gaming.

Here in Doncaster, we are in the process of creating a dedicated team to investigate child exploitation in all its forms, which will be fully functioning by the end of this summer. Find out more about the campaign at www.southyorks.police.uk/find-out/stop-exploitation/

The team will be an important link between the district's Organised Crime Group investigation teams, known as Operation Fortify, Children's Social Care, and the dedicated Missing From Home Team that was established in November last year. We are committed to dealing with CCE, CSE and county lines drug dealing.