Protect young people and provide opportunities

Every interaction with a child or young person leaves a mark; it is an opportunity to build trust and to keep them safe. Kent Police must continue to provide positive engagement opportunities and whenever an officer or member of staff comes into contact with a child or young person, they must look beyond the immediate situation by asking questions and observing their behaviour and environment.

a) In 2023/24, an innovative, trauma informed child sexual exploitation joint training pilot project between the University of Kent and Kent Police was developed and delivered to investigators. The package followed the story of two young girls, Robyn and Molly, with officers interactively moving through the incident and investigation whilst trainers introduced topics such as childhood trauma, push and pull factors, the AWARE principles, victim blaming language and CPS advice. Around 100 officers across Missing Child & Exploitation Teams and Vulnerable Investigation Teams attended, with the course being well received by attendees and attracting national interest.

b) The force increased the number of officers and staff working in the Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT) to combat online child abuse. The new staff went through a comprehensive training programme and have access to enhanced welfare arrangements designed to support staff in roles where they are routinely exposed to trauma. In POLIT this is particularly acute due to the amount of indecent material they must view and the depravity of offenders they deal with.

Delivering results: A suspect repeatedly sent indecent images to two children. Despite receiving several replies, clearly stating their ages and that they were at school, he continued to bombard them with messages, urging them to engage in sexual activity and requested they send him indecent images. He also made efforts to meet one of them in Sevenoaks, where he planned to carry out abuse on a train. At Maidstone Crown Court, he admitted two counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and three counts of attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity and was found guilty despite a denial of a further charge of attempting to arrange or facilitate the commission of a child sex offence. He was jailed for seven years and upon release will be subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order. He was also added to the sex offender register for life.