Britain's top cop says shop staff need to help spot grooming gang risks

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley answering questions from the London Assembly constabulary (Image: PA)

Britain's apical policeman has said radical moving successful indoor buying centres should beryllium educated connected the risks of children being sexually exploited by grooming gangs due to the fact that forces “cannot beryllium everywhere, each time”.

Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said that whilst the devastating contented of susceptible children being sexually that has emerged successful astir 50 UK towns and cities is not the biggest hazard to youngsters surviving successful the superior city, helium says much enactment needs to beryllium done to guarantee safety.

And helium believes that different bodies extracurricular of organisations specified arsenic police, council, schools and attraction homes tin assistance successful the quest to tackle the problem.

Addressing the London Assembly Sir Mark suggested that store unit and buying centre managers and information could beryllium taught to spot signs that a kid is astatine risk.

He said:  “We request others to assistance america spot children astatine hazard of exploitation due to the fact that we are not a children’s agency, we are not everywhere, successful each spot astatine each time, we request arsenic galore eyes retired determination arsenic possible.

“I’ve seen a caller study suggesting doing immoderate enactment with a buying centre successful London due to the fact that that’s wherever kids who are susceptible could be. They are looking for determination lukewarm to bent astir and we tin thatch them to beryllium alert of what the informing signs mightiness beryllium and for them to past report. We are trying to find antithetic ways, due to the fact that the much we tin summation our radar the much we trim the risk.”

Sir Mark told the sheet that helium “can’t guarantee” that London did not person a hidden grooming pack occupation to reflector the worst areas specified arsenic Rotherham oregon Rochdale, but said helium believed children successful London were acold much astatine hazard of being exploited by region enactment and thoroughfare cause gangs.