Pc Mike Smith who received a ‘We See You, We Hear You’ award from the National Safeguarding Adults Board(Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Plymouth police officer praised for incredible work safeguarding children

by · PlymouthLive

A Plymouth police officer has been recognised for his work in protecting vulnerable young people across the city.

Pc Mike Smith, who works in the neighbourhood team in Plymouth city centre, received a 'We See You, We Hear You' award from the National Safeguarding Adults Board (NSAB) for his work in preventing crime.

In September this year, Pc Smith launched a two-week campaign, named Operation Makesafe, to raise awareness of exploitation with the general public, highlighting the signs to spot, and how to report it to the police.

The operation included plain clothes police officers attending hotels in city with young police cadets to see if employees were aware of the signs of potential exploitation and how to respond to an adult guest trying to rent a room with a child.

At the time Pc Smith said the key aim of the operation was education, with a long term hope of ensuring hoteliers engage with key partnerships in the city to learn more about the wide number of ways children can be exploited by criminals, from being coerced into carrying drugs, cash and weapons, to being groomed for sexual purposes.

He explained that many children unfortunately do not even realise or accept they are being exploited because of the tactics of criminals which can include exploiting a child's vulnerabilities, giving them gifts such as new clothes, or even buying them alcohol or drugs in return for committing crimes.

Education was the key aim of the operation which has seen police partner with a host of agencies, including the Children's Society, Plymouth Argyle and the Safer Plymouth Partnership to target child exploitation(Image: Plymouth Police)

Following the award from the NSAB, Insp Tom Crabb, who heads up the neighbourhood police team, said: "This work has been vital in safeguarding young people in our city, now and into the future.

"Pc Smith identified an opportunity to push educational messages to the public around child exploitation in an effort to target and deter people who look to cause harm those most vulnerable in our communities. We put posters and leaflets out across Plymouth, as well as used digital screens to highlight what exploitation is and what people can do if they suspect something is not quite right.

"There was also a real focus on police presence and engagement across a two week period. Pc Smith organised high-visibility patrols calling into local shops, licensed premises and restaurants to provide important information to staff about exploitation. Police officers were supported by cadets during a number of their patrols.

"A successful plain clothes operation also took place in local hotels as part of this campaign to raise awareness of child exploitation."

Plain clothed police officers - working with Police Cadets - launched the operation to test Plymouth hotels on dealing with potential exploitation of children(Image: Plymouth Police)

The operation involved a plain clothed male police officer, with a 15-year-old boy, and another officer with a 15-year-old girl, visiting a number of hotels, attempting to book a double room for the night.

In all but three of the hotels visited, both plain clothes officers were able to get to the point of payment unchecked or challenged. Those that failed to challenge the plain clothed officers were given advice on the steps to take to help stop any potential exploitation.

On receiving his award, Pc Smith said: "I'm proud to have been able to make a difference in our community with this campaign. Knowing we’ve helped raise public awareness of child exploitation and how to spot the signs has been rewarding. It’s imperative that everyone in our community continues working together to tackle this issue and keep young people safe. Thank you to all our local partners and the Police Cadets who made this campaign possible."

The Operation Makesafe campaign in Plymouth - which was also used in the city in 2020 - is expected to be used across other force areas in the country.

Education was the key aim of the operation which has seen police partner with a host of agencies, including the Children's Society., Plymouth Argyle and the Safer Plymouth Partnership to target child exploitation(Image: Plymouth Police)

Child sexual exploitation

Child sexual exploitation involves situations, contexts or relationships in which a person under 18 is given something, such as food, accommodation, drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, affection, gifts or money in return 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.

Common patterns

In all cases of child sexual exploitation (CSE), the person exploiting the child or young person is able to create the impression of authority over them in some form. This could be because of their age, gender, intellect, physical strength or economic situation.

Hotel

Sexual exploitation of children can start through the use of technology, without them immediately realising. For example, they might be persuaded to post images on the internet or via mobile phone without immediate payment or personal gain.

Violence, coercion and intimidation are common, with a particular vulnerability of the child or young person being used against them. This can make the young person feel as though they have no choice but to continue the relationship.

Warning signs

Signs of a child or young person being in an exploitative relationship can vary. Some examples are:

  • going missing from home or care
  • physical injuries
  • misuse of drugs or alcohol
  • involvement in offending
  • repeat sexually-transmitted infections, pregnancies or terminations
  • absenteeism from school
  • deterioration in physical appearance
  • evidence of online sexual bullying
  • evidence of vulnerability on social networking sites
  • emotional distance from family members
  • receiving gifts from unknown sources
  • recruiting others into exploitative situations
  • poor mental health
  • self-harming
  • thinking about or attempting suicide

Police said the educational posters and booklets given to hotels were kindly provided by The Children's Society. Other hotels in Plymouth and beyond can access further educational material on The Children's Society website and by visiting: Op Makesafe | Devon & Cornwall Police (devon-cornwall.police.uk).

If you suspect a person of carrying out child sexual exploitation, or think someone you know has been a victim, or may be soon, visit www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/cse or call the police's non-emergency number, 101.

If you believe someone is in immediate danger or harm call 999 now.

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