PSNI Expands Child Protection Campaign To Belfast

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has expanded its 'Operation Makesafe' campaign to Belfast. The initiative aims to raise awareness of child sexual exploitation and empower communities to protect children.

A recent event held at the Girdwood Community Hub in Belfast, hosted by the Lord Mayor and Belfast City Council, focused on identifying potential signs of child exploitation.

The PSNI and the Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland have been providing training and awareness-raising sessions to the night-time economy. They are educating staff on potential indicators of child exploitation, such as:

• Adults befriending young people

• Adults who have been noted visiting with different young people

• Adults accompanying young people and acting in an intimate way with them

• Adults who are accompanying young people who look to be confused or distressed

• Adults buying alcoholic drinks for someone expected to be under 18

• Picking young people up in your taxi and dropping them at a local hotel at odd times of the day/night

• Adult guests requesting a room that is isolated

• Adult guests accessing pornography in a room where you think a child may be present

CSE can be present in hotels, pubs and other places licensed to sell alcohol and taxis that are used to transport young people who are then exploited. Therefore it is vital that training and awareness raising is in place to teach people on how to spot the signs and give them the confidence to report to Police if they feel something is not right.

There are currently 39 children on the Child Sexual Exploitation Framework in NI, meaning that they have been assessed jointly by Police and Social Services as being at Risk of CSE but Police say this is merely the tip of the iceberg

Detective Chief Inspector Claire McGarvey, Chair of SBNI Online Safety Committee said: "The warning signs of Child Sexual Exploitation are often hidden in plain sight, which is why this continued awareness raising activity is so important. Through Operation Makesafe we are able to arm our local communities with the knowledge on how to spots signs of CSE and build courage in reporting. "Child Sexual Exploitation has no place in our society and so we must work together to outsmart child predators and put a stop to the abuse.

"The vulnerable children involved are usually unaware that they are being exploited which is why they can't raise the alarm to Police themselves. Many are manipulated into thinking they are being loved and cared for through the receiving of gifts, drugs and alcohol.

"We continue to ask our local communities to be vigilant especially in hotspot areas such as bars, hotels and restaurants. If you notice anything suspicious do not hesitate to contact Police.

"We need everyone's help to keep the children in our communities safe." 

On 7th February 2023, PSNI received a call of suspicious circumstances involving a 16 year old female meeting a 38 year old man that had earlier in the day checked in at the Holiday Inn Express in Junction One, Antrim. The man had told the receptionist that his daughter would be checking in later to meet him in the room, that she was shopping. The receptionist had undergone training on how to spot the signs of CSE and raised the alarm. The young girl (in fact not his daughter) seemed nervous, gave the wrong room number and had no shopping bags with her. She contacted her manager and then rang the Police. Paul Livingstone was then later arrested for Abduction of a Child in Care. He was successfully convicted in Antrim Court on the 21st May 2024.

Deputy Manager of the Holiday Inn Express in Antrim Stephen Kingsbury said: "Training is vital to our staff being able to apply professional curiosity to situations such as this and we are thankful that our vigilance was able to aid the Police in securing a conviction against a child predator in our community.

"I would encourage other local businesses to attend awareness events and train their staff using the Operation Makesafe materials provided by the Police. It could stop a vulnerable child from coming to harm or at the very least bring a perpetrator to justice."

For further information see the Police Service of Northern Ireland's website.

If you're concerned about a child's welfare and think they may be being exploited, please report it to Police online, via 101 or 999 in an emergency.

You can also contact independent the charity CrimeStoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via crimestoppers-uk.org.