Minutes:
Councillor Bryn Turner of Beaudesert & Henley in Arden Joint Parish Council was welcomed to the meeting and invited to put his question to the Police and Crime Commissioner.
Councillor Turner referred to the findings of the recently published Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) report into child sexual exploitation and organised networks. The report had concluded that “this investigation has revealed extensive failures by local authorities and police forces to keep pace with the pernicious and changing problem of sexual exploitation of children by networks.” He stated that an assessment of services in Warwickshire had formed part of the case study work for the report; where there were causes for concern, an effective response was required.
Councillor Turner asked that the Commissioner work with Warwickshire Police to implement a more proactive strategy to address sexual exploitation of children by organised networks, as exemplified by Avon & Somerset Police’s ‘Operation Topaz’.
The Commissioner thanked Councillor Turner for his observations and underlined the importance of enacting a robust strategy to counter child sexual exploitation (CSE). He highlighted that the case study work undertaken by IICSA had examined approaches to CSE by both Warwickshire County Council and Warwickshire Police. He stated that the report had also shown examples of good practice in Warwickshire.
The Commissioner stated that there was an opportunity to learn from good practice being undertaken elsewhere, such as in Avon and Somerset. It would be necessary to work closely with Social Services in Warwickshire. He highlighted the effectiveness of the Warwickshire Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) which was focused on detecting and countering CSE.
Richard Long (Head of Policy and Partnership, OPCC) underlined the importance of enacting a robust strategy to address CSE. He stated that, at its core, CSE was a societal issue. To intervene effectively, a holistic, partnership approach was required across public sector organisations with an understanding of respective roles and responsibilities. He highlighted the importance of the role of Warwickshire Police to identify and safeguard victims of CSE and bring perpetrators to justice.
Richard Long stated that the Commissioner and his Office welcomed the findings of the IICSA as well as the work of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) which sought to identify good practice and areas where improvements could be made. It was clear that improvements, locally and nationally, were required in the multi-agency response to CSE as outlined in the recent report. He advised that the Commissioner had a responsibility to hold the Chief Constable to account and had actively used this power with a focus specifically on issues relating to CSE. The Force accepted that more work was required, including problem profiling; recording and analysis of networks involved in perpetrating CSE; recording of disruption tactics, when used; and improvements to the operation of the risk assessment process.
Richard Long emphasised that the IICSE report had also focused on good practices within Warwickshire, including training aimed at eradicating victim blaming; a progressive approach to assessing risks; the adoption of the National Working Group CSE Assessment Tool; the ‘Something’s Not Right’ multi-agency campaign; the multi-agency CSE Team; dedicated resources in place for victims of CSE, funded by the Commissioner; and a well-established audit and review process.
Richard Long emphasised that it was not accurate to conclude that Warwickshire Police had failed to take a proactive approach to CSE. However, it was clear that there was scope for improvements to be made. He stated that, throughout the period of the IICSE case study, the Commissioner had allocated additional funding to increase the capacity of Warwickshire Police to address CSE, including creation of dedicated child abuse trafficking and exploitation teams who would be a forefront of driving continuous improvement. He advised that the Commissioner also funded schemes to provide dedicated, long-term support for victims and survivors of CSE.
The Chair thanked Councillor Turner for raising the issue which would continue to be an area of interest to the Panel.
Councillor Turner stated that the Operation Topaz scheme had significantly increased rates of detection of CSE in Avon and Somerset. He urged the Commissioner to examine the strategy in detail.
The Commissioner emphasised his commitment to address CSE. The Force was focused on the issue; it was clear that there was more to be done. He highlighted the differences between Avon & Somerset and Warwickshire; however, he would examine the Operation Topaz strategy in detail.