THERE has been a 61 per cent rise in the number of suspected child sexual grooming cases reported to the Bradford’s Safeguarding Hub in a year.

In the 12 months to April 2017, there were 1,153 referrals dealt with by the CSE Hub which was set up to tackle grooming across the district.

This was up from 713 in 2015-16 and 431 in 2014-15.

Superintendent Darren Minton, of West Yorkshire Police’s safeguarding team, said the rise was largely due to increased awareness of such crimes than in the past.

A report to Bradford Council’s children’s services scrutiny committee also reveals that in 2016-17, there were also 367 CSE crimes recorded by police, up 34 per cent on the previous 12 months.

More than half of the crimes recorded during that timeframe dated back to before 2015 with other offences dating back to the 1950s.

Of the crimes identified by police there are 236 where the offender was linked to the victim.

Overall, the majority of offenders (65 per cent) were under 25, with 31 per cent under 18 and 34 per cent aged 18 to 25.

A breakdown further reveals that 39 per cent of perpetrators were white, 36 per cent were Asian and in 18 per cent of cases the ethnicity was not known.

Women make up 17 per cent of the total number of offenders.

The report also contains a “snapshot” of children being helped by the hub on March 29 this year.

At that point, 11 per cent of the 304 children being dealt with were classed as “high risk” with boys making up 14 per cent of the cases.

The ethnicity of children referred to the CSE Hub shows that 70 per cent were white, 16 per cent Asian and seven per cent of mixed heritage.

A total of 12 children were of a Gypsy/Roma background.

Supt Minton, of West Yorkshire Police’s Safeguarding Governance Unit, said: “Safeguarding children is a top priority for West Yorkshire Police and the rise in referrals to the Bradford District hub and the increase in crimes recorded shows that the signs of child sexual exploitation are being recognised.

“We are committed to protecting children who may be at risk and we work closely with partner agencies to reduce these risks, protect them from further harm and bring perpetrators to justice.

"Working in partnership means that informed decisions can be taken to identify the level of risk the child is exposed to and what safeguarding measures can be put in place.

“It is everyone’s responsibility to safeguard children and anyone with concerns over a child who may be vulnerable is asked to speak to our specially trained officers.”

The committee meets at Bradford City Hall on Wednesday, October 11, from 4.30pm.