The Police and Crime Commissioner, Donna Jones, has relaunched the annual Is Your Child Safe? campaign to raise awareness of child exploitation across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. The drive to help parents, guardians and caregivers spot the warning signs is being highlighted in conjunction with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Violence Reduction Unit, Hampshire County Council, Isle of Wight Council, Portsmouth City Council and Southampton City Council. The campaign runs throughout the Summer holidays offering advice on how to spot the signs of child exploitation, what to do, and where to get help. PCC Donna Jones said:
“Child exploitation is happening now across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. The signs are subtle but they are clear indicators for when a child is being groomed for criminal or sexual exploitation. “We all need to understand what exploitation looks like, how to prevent it from happening, how to get advice and how to support children who become the victims of criminalisation and abuse.”
Child exploitation is when individuals or groups coerce, manipulate or deceive a child into doing what they want in return for something the child wants or needs. This can include the child being coerced into having sex or committing crimes such as carrying and delivering cash or drugs for a gang. These people, normally older children or young adults, offer money, drugs, gifts, protection, friendship, love or affection to gain the child’s trust. They may also use physical violence and threats. This is often called Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE) or Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) and involves grooming. Children who go missing are much more vulnerable to exploitation and it is often the most common sign that something is wrong. In the last 12 months, from July 2023 to June 2024, 3013 children were reported missing to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary. Many of these children went missing several times. Jim Pegler, Director of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Violence Reduction Unit, said:
“There is strong evidence that shows children who have positive and trusted adult role models are less likely to be exploited into criminality or violence. Most local authorities have online resources that list activities available over the summer to ensure those who care for children have options that can help keep their child safe.”
See the signs
- Regularly going missing/coming home late
- Increasingly secretive
- Suddenly having an older boyfriend/girlfriend or friendship group
- Sudden change in friendships
- Returning home under the influence of drugs/alcohol
- Unexplained injuries
- STDs or pregnancy/terminations
- Getting into trouble at school/in the community
- Suddenly having expensive clothes, trainers, money and valuable items
- Asking for money for often excessive need for money
- Receiving a lot of texts/phone calls
- Burner phones/multiple phones
- Sudden interest in gang culture/drill music or other types of music you are not familiar with
- Change in language – use of urban slang or phrases related to drug dealing
- Carrying items linked to criminal activity like weapons, balaclavas, tools, stash bags or small weighing scales
What can I do?
- Ask questions and listen without judgement. Children need to know they can talk without fear of their parents getting cross and upset.
- Pay attention to their behaviour. Many children cannot voice their worries but will show them in how they act.
- Know their friends. Question new friendships and be aware of any secrecy around these.
- If your child is picked up by someone in a car, make you know who they are and where they are going, and record as much detail as possible.
- If your child takes a journey on a train or bus on their own, check their ticket, know the route and their destination.
- Take an active interest in their online life by checking their phone and internet history.
- Use online security settings and talk about the sites they are visiting and why.
Visit www.isyourchildsafe.org to see the support available in your area.
Don’t live in Rotheram??
I think children are more likely to get sexually groomed online, but if its criminal exploitation, dont live in London or Liverpool.
Our kids will be less safe now woke labour are in,more migrunts coming in daily,just given amnesty to 100,000 illegals,this will only get worse,and you idiots voted for it.
Headbanger alert!
Headbanger alert!
Funny how the biggest threat to kids on the IW seems to be geriatric old white British Paedophiles.
Funny how Labour have just deported 50 failed asylum seekers within a month of taking power, whereas the Tories flagship £700 million Rwanda scheme hadn’t managed any.
The adults are in charge now. You lost. Get used to it.
Wow,deported 50,but let in 100,000
So the party who have been in power less than a month are responsible for the influx over the last 4 years?
Like most headbangers you have a very poor grasp on reality.
It was the Tories and Brexiters who let in 100,000. Before Brexit the yearly influx was 3 or 4 thousand, now it’s 5 times that because they know we can’t send them back under the Dublin arrangement like we used to.
We now have grown-ups running the country and those grown-ups are going to cooperate with other countries to tackle to problem at source, the traffickers who sell these people false dreams.
well its still 50 better than the Tories,..
they didn’t stop any, didn’t deport any & under them there was higher imigration than ever.!
Jonny, the main media no longer mention if it is a ‘black person’ when a crime of stabbing etc is committed in the vain hope that some naive might assume otherwise.
Yet they still say a ‘man’ has stabbed, someone, so why drop the ‘colour’ but keep then gender?
Sadly much of the vile crime committed by those who can’t be mentioned is kept as low key as feasible, yet when a white pushed to the limit does anything in retaliation the main press never drop the subject
Imagine if the Rochester and Rotherham cases had been reversed. The electrical shops and trainer stores would still be being looted (in sympathy), and the BBC would never ever drop the case and special race rape, would be made into new laws.
Hence the public anger.
keep your child safe by organizing a group of nonce busters and sod what the do gooders and hand wringers say. Tag the nonces and do a 24 hour survey on them. Allow the parents to deal with them if caught and bring in castration laws. Simple but affective. LOGICS. Each one castrated is another child safe
Well,, between labour & all the woke pride rubbish going on our children don’t stand much of a chance really do they ? Labour really advertised the fact they sent 50 migrants back while they let in was it 1000 more ? Angela rayner says we all have to have a fair share in all areas,, now they want us to take them into our homes