Police response to group-based CSE has improved, but more needed to protect vulnerable children, says inspectorate

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary of Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) found that the quality of police investigations is improving, with early action frequently being taken in many cases to protect children and arrest suspects.

Since its 2023 inspection on the response to these crimes, HMICFRS found that nearly all police forces have adopted a common definition of organised networks to identify group-based child sexual exploitation. The inspectorate said this is “encouraging”.

However, some policing personnel and analysts do not understand the definition well enough to apply it consistently in their work. This risks weakening the policing response. Inspectors also said it was disappointing that the Home Office and Department for Education had not yet adopted this definition in their key guidance documents.

The failure to use this definition is contributing to a persistent lack of reliable data to build a national understanding of the scale and nature of group-based child sexual exploitation.

The inspectorate also said that:

• Positively, crimes involving child sexual exploitation are now more likely to be investigated by specially trained officers. Forces with dedicated exploitation teams provide valuable advice to investigators to improve the quality of their investigations;
• Almost all police forces are engaged in cultural change programmes to educate their workforce in an effort to eradicate victim-blaming language;
• Forces have adopted more consistent approaches to working with partners to prevent and disrupt child sexual exploitation in communities. For example, Operation Makesafe helps police train vape and fast-food vendors, hotel and door staff, taxi drivers and ticket inspectors to recognise and report children who may be exploited;
• Despite efforts by many forces to improve how they identify and flag child sexual exploitation cases, a robust national solution is still needed; and
• Forces need to develop better problem profiles to improve their understanding of and response to child sexual exploitation. It is vital that these include a range of partner data to help make sure children are protected from risk.

In addition to the four outstanding recommendations from the inspectorate’s 2023 report, six new recommendations have been issued to help build on the progress made and make sure victims receive the response they deserve.

His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Michelle Skeer said:

“Many children endure horrific crimes of sexual exploitation at the hands of multiple perpetrators for months or even years. Some victims take decades to disclose what happened to them. Others never do. For many victims and their families, the impact of this abuse can be lifelong. It is crucial that the police and other public services do all they can to prevent and tackle it effectively.

“And having reviewed the progress made since our 2023 inspection, I was encouraged to see evidence of policing’s commitment to this aim.

“The quality of police investigations is improving, and we found there was a clear focus towards reports involving children who are repeatedly missing or vulnerable to exploitation. Forces are increasingly responding decisively and swiftly to reports involving vulnerable children at risk of sexual exploitation. As a result, more children are being safeguarded, and more suspects are being arrested.

“I commend the hard work of the Hydrant Programme, its Child Sexual Exploitation Taskforce and the dedicated investigators and supervisors who work tirelessly to support children as victims of the most appalling crimes.

“However, while this report sets out the improvements that have been made, there are some critical gaps that remain. To do justice to the bravery of victims who come forward and put their trust in police and public services, more needs to be done. Crucially, there remains an unmet and pressing need for accurate data to help policing build an informed response to the threat of these crimes.

“Group-based child sexual exploitation should be consistently identified, properly understood and addressed with urgency. In addition to the four outstanding recommendations from our 2023 report, we have issued six new recommendations to help prevent, disrupt and tackle this threat against vulnerable children.”