Child sexual exploitation 'significantly under-reported' in North Yorkshire

It comes after the children’s charity Barnardo’s said it was concerned that police forces do not know the full extent of the issue as offences are being underreported, particularly during the school holidays when children spend less time with trusted adults and professionals.

The children’s charity submitted Freedom of Information requests to 34 police forces across the UK, and said 20 had responded with full information on the period they enquired about.

The figures show North Yorkshire Police recorded just 90 incidents of child sexual exploitation between 2018 and 2022, when far more cases were reported to neighbouring forces such as West Yorkshire (376), Cleveland (1,579) and South Yorkshire (2,180).

A spokeswoman said: “North Yorkshire Police believes that child sexual exploitation is significantly under-reported. In many instances, victims don’t realise they are being exploited or they are too scared to report what is happening to them.

“It is up to all of us, be that professionals who come into contact with children, parents, relatives, carers, other service providers, to be alert to the signs and report any concerns so the abuse can be stopped and those responsible brought to justice.”

The force said there are various signs of exploitation and adults should be concerned if they see a child who is suffering from poor mental health, self-harming, frequently going missing or skipping school, abusing drugs and alcohol or contracting sexually-transmitted infections.

It comes after the force was criticised for conducting “poor” investigations into cases of child exploitation, by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services last year.

Nadine Good, Director of Barnardo’s North, said: “The different ways that police forces record these offences means that no-one really has a full understanding of just how big a problem it is.

"For example, it’s really concerning that two neighbouring forces, South and North Yorkshire, could record such drastically different statistics.

“That’s why we’re calling on the Government to do a full investigation of child sexual exploitation to understand the full scale of the issue. It’s vital that this happens if we’re all going to make sure we keep children safe.”

Barnardo’s said the figures from forces across the country show the number of reported incidents falls during months when there are school holidays of two weeks or longer.

The responses showed the average proportion of child sexual exploitation offences per month decreased in April, August, September and December – roughly coinciding with Easter, summer and Christmas.

The charity is concerned that many children experiencing sexual and criminal exploitation are invisible to professionals during the school holidays.

Barnardo's Chief Executive Lynn Perry said: “Summer holidays should be about fun and relaxation, but we are deeply concerned that a growing number of children could be at risk of sexual and criminal exploitation both online and in the community.

“With many children spending several hours a day without adult supervision, and without activities like youth clubs, there’s a greater risk of harm and a higher likelihood they will go unidentified and unsupported.”

She called for the Government to “invest in nationwide specialist support services, such as therapy and counselling, for all children who are victims of exploitation to help them to recover”, and for more investment in services such as youth clubs which “provide safe spaces and help ensure all children have a trusted adult they can turn to in the school holidays”.