SOUTH WALES Police are working with businesses to raise awareness of the signs of child exploitation, including criminal and sexual, across South Wales.
As part of South Wales Police’s ongoing commitment to tackling child exploitation, officers are visiting hotels, licensed premises, shops and taxi firms to educate them on spotting the signs and how to act on suspected child exploitation.
The businesses are being spoken to as part of Operation Makesafe, a national initiative to educate the hospitality industry about child exploitation. The launch also coincides with Child Exploitation Awareness Day.
Detective Chief Inspector Gareth Jones said: “If you are working in a hotel, shop, licensed premise or drive a taxi, you have a vital role to play in identifying suspicious behaviour and helping us protect children from exploitation.
“The more we can do to improve people’s awareness and vigilance around the signs to look out for, the more we can reduce the opportunities for children to be victimised in this way.
“Working with our partners, we will continue to raise awareness of safeguarding issues and make sure that as many people as possible have access to the necessary support and training to spot the signs of child sexual exploitation and how to safeguard children.”
For more information about Operation Makesafe, including posters to display in staff rooms or send to staff, please visit South Wales Police’s Operation Makesafe webpage.
