Child frequently going missing? Look again!

FORCEWIDE

As part of our Look Again campaign we are encouraging people to learn the signs of child sexual and criminal exploitation and ‘look again’ if something seems unusual, to help protect children and young people in our area.

One of the key signs which can indicate a child or young person is being exploited is if they regularly go missing from home or skip school, often in small groups.

Inspector Owen Stafford heads up our Locate Team, a dedicated team of officers who run our missing person investigations.

When asked about the link between missing children and exploitation, Insp Stafford said: “It isn’t normal for a child or a young person to repeatedly go missing from their home or care setting, so when we do have reports of this happening it makes us question what is really going on.

“There are many reasons why this might be the case, but often it is because that young person has been targeted by criminals who are using them for their own personal gain. 

“When we receive a report that a teenager or child has gone missing we carry out extensive enquiries with their parents or carers to understand what is going on in their life that has caused them to become missing.

“This is both to help us find them as quickly as possible, and to establish if they need any additional support putting in place once they are home to protect them from harm.

“Where we see evidence that that child is being exploited, we work closely with colleagues from different departments across the force to fully understand the extent of that exploitation and take action against the person (or people) responsible.

“This also involves working closely with the child and their family, alongside partner agencies, to help ensure that they are not in any danger and to prevent them from being exploited further. 

“As the nights get lighter and we start to see some warmer weather we do anticipate that there will be more people out and about, the vast majority of which will be going about their lawful business.

“However, if you do see something that doesn’t seem quite right, such as young people out and about at an unusual time of day or night, please do ‘Look Again’ and report any concerns to us so that we can carry out a full and thorough investigation.

“We always get a good response when we issue appeals for missing people, with many of our followers sharing our appeals and calling in with information and I want to take this opportunity to say thank you for doing so.

“With the eyes and ears of the public supporting our search teams, we are often able to find people quickly – ensuring their safety and protecting them from criminality.”

For more information about spotting the signs of child criminal or sexual exploitation please visit https://www.humberside.police.uk/police-forces/humberside-police/areas/campaigns/campaigns/look-again/