BRADFORD District Police has held a virtual conference to discuss how the criminal exploitation of children can be tackled.

The event was brought together in partnership with the Violence Reduction Unit, Bradford Council, Bradford Safeguarding Board and the University of Bradford.

In September 2019, the district launched the child exploitation protocol and risk assessment, following conversations with partner agencies which expressed a need for more awareness.

The aim of the conference was to assist professionals working with children and to help them identify some of the risks and warning signs to look out for in relation to exploitation.

There was a wide range of speakers present, including West Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Mark Burns-Williamson OBE, Zoe Lodrick, Phil Pearce from Life Experiences CIC, Arnold Yousaf from St Giles Trust, Niven Rennie, the director of the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit and Sam Keith and Steve Baguley, both from Newcastle City Council’s Safeguarding and Children’s Services.

Chief Inspector Steve Greenbank, of Bradford District Police, said: “The event was a huge success with over 200 delegates tuning in throughout the day to hear from our fantastic range of speakers.

“The conference was meant to take place in March 2020, but due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the event was postponed, rescheduled and now to adhere to the ongoing guidelines and restrictions, was held virtually.

“The ongoing work, not only in West Yorkshire but nationally, on the criminal exploitation of children is essential for police forces, safeguarding boards and charities to gain a further understanding on how we can work together to safeguard vulnerable children in our communities.”

West Yorkshire's Police and Crime Commissioner, Mark Burns-Williamson OBE, said: “We all know that child criminal exploitation is not something that any one agency can deal with in isolation, it needs to be a collective partnership response.

“By sharing our experiences in this way, we stand a greater chance of raising awareness of the issues and educating our communities about the emerging threats.

“It is vitally important that everyone receives training and is on the front foot, in terms of providing a robust and meaningful response to help recognise and prevent such exploitation, and this online conference will aim to ensure a fully co-ordinated approach.”

Jane Booth, Independent Chair of The Bradford Partnership, said: “I am delighted that this conference was able to go ahead, despite all the challenges presented by the pandemic and that so many people from around the region came to join us. 

"We were ready to run the live event in March 2020 and very disappointed when we had to cancel. We had a great line-up of speakers with direct experience of working with exploitation, who shared their expertise with us.

"We hope that our growing understanding will help us to develop the best services we can to tackle this complex work."

Councillor Adrian Farley, Portfolio Holder for Children and Families, said: “It’s really important that, despite lockdown, this conference has taken place.

"Sadly, criminal exploitation has not stopped because of Covid-19. This conference is one way the Council and partners are working to share the most up-to-date, best practice so we can tackle these crimes head-on.

"As well as this conference, we’ve developed innovative projects to support both young people and adults who are vulnerable to exploitation. We will not tolerate these crimes and we will work with the police day in and day out to bring criminals to justice.”