Durham adopts training for professionals to spot CSE
Joe Lepper
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Durham has become the first area in the country to adopt a US training initiative to help police officers and other professionals to better identify child sexual exploitation (CSE).
First used by the Texas Rangers, the Intervene to Protect a Child training package encourages police officers and other professionals in contact with children to be more aware of signs that a child may be abused as well as to spot potential abusers.
For police officers the aim is to use the same investigative skills they already use in identifying drug and firearms offences for spotting potential child sex offences.
This can include looking for particular tattoos or possession of images of children as well as questioning a suspect about their relationship with a child in their care even if they have been arrested for another offence.
The scheme is being adopted by Durham Constabulary and is being made available to 250 professionals across the county, including social workers, teachers and NHS staff.
Durham Constabulary has released the example of one trainee, police community support officer Adam Grundy, who alerted other officers to a girl under the age of five who was potentially at risk of abuse from a family friend.
Durham Constabulary chief constable Mike Barton said: “I’m absolutely delighted that Durham Constabulary is leading the way in adopting this pioneering training.
“As a result I’m convinced that my officers on the frontline will be better equipped to spot the vital signs which may protect a child from harm.”
The training is being delivered in the UK by Mentor Forensic Services, whose director Joe Sullivan has assisted officers working on high-profile child abduction cases such as the disappearance of Madeline McCann.
Sullivan said: “The Intervene to Protect a Child training empowers frontline professionals who are not child protection specialists to view their everyday, routine interactions with members of the public through a different lens.
“Whether they work in a medical setting, in a school, in law enforcement, in a library or with children in any capacity, it’s about igniting a professional curiosity that could ultimately lead to a child being safeguarded.”
In the US the training has directly led to 50 investigations into child pornography, child abuse, human trafficking and abduction with more than 160 victims identified and supported.
