Police

All police officers must be alert to child criminal exploitation.

Any young person can be criminally exploited regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, or family background.

Adopting a child-first approach can alleviate the young person’s fear of arrest. Police officers must be aware that criminally exploited young people are victims of child abuse.

Exploiters will have told them to fear police officers and practitioners. They may have been threatened with what will happen to them if they are caught by the police.

Any contact with the police may result in repercussions for the young person or their families.

Guidance for the police

For further guidance for police who work with young people, including warning signs for child criminal exploitation, see pages 64-66 of the Practitioner Toolkit.