Police announce new scheme to protect East Sussex children from exploitation

Discovery Child, which is run in partnership with East Sussex County Council’s Children’s Services, aims to reduce the risk of harm to child victims of exploitation.

Police said the initiative also aims to protect children ‘on the periphery of exploitation through early identification, accurate recording, and rapid intervention’.

A Sussex Police spokesperson said: “Officially launched on 22 April, the specially-trained Sussex Police officers work closely with surrounding teams and partners such as the local council, children, education, and health services.

“Exploitation is a form of modern slavery in which victims are regarded as commodity for financial gain. They are exploited, controlled, or held captive, and threatened or punished to stop them escaping or reporting the crime. Child criminal exploitation is when someone uses a child (under 18 years old) to commit crimes for them. It could include things like forcing a child to work on a cannabis farm, or targeting and grooming a child to sell drugs in a county line operation. Child sexual exploitation involves situations or relationships in which a person under 18 is given something, for example food, drugs, gifts, or money, in exchange for performing sexual activities or having sexual activities performed on them. It can also involve violence, coercion, and intimidation, with threats of physical harm or humiliation.”

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Detective onspector Pippa Nicklin, of the Discovery Child team, said: “Child exploitation is often linked to county lines drug supply, anti-social behaviour, and acquisitive crime such as burglary, and can have devastating effects on victims, families, and surrounding communities. Tackling child exploitation is a key focus for police and it is our responsibility to be vigilant and respond quickly to safeguard potential victims of exploitation and bring those responsible to justice.”

The Home Office’s research into the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) has shown that UK national children are the fastest growing group in the NRM, which police said was in part driven by county lines activity.

The NRM framework identifies and refers potential victims of modern slavery to make sure they get appropriate support. Police said each case is discussed at a multi-agency panel with professionals who know the child and family. A police spokesperson said: “The outcome of the NRM referral can provide the individual with a legal defence if it is decided that they committed crimes as a consequence of exploitation.”

Nicola Maxwell from Children’s Services said: “This is an exciting development and will allow us to build on the excellent work that is currently being undertaken across East Sussex to safeguard children at risk of exploitation. It will also support the swift disruption of those adults who seek to exploit children, ensuring that they are dealt with through the criminal justice system.”

Police said the scheme has been funded for six months initially when a review into its outcomes will be conducted. Police are urging people with concerns about a child to report them at www.sussex.police.uk or via 101 and to always call 999 in an emergency.