Serious Case Review: Aylesbury Vale Police Response 03/03/2015

Emergency Service & Military

In 2013, after the two-year Operation Bullfinch investigation by Thames Valley Police, seven men were sentenced to 95 years’ imprisonment for offences including rape, trafficking and arranging or facilitating prostitution against six girls.

Today, the findings of an independent Serious Case Review into Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) in Oxfordshire were released. It found that although many positive changes have been made by Thames Valley Police since Operation Bullfinch, the exploitation could have been identified earlier and that errors were made.

Following today’s review, Supt Olly Wright, LPA Commander for Aylesbury, said:
“Any child or young person may be at risk of sexual exploitation, regardless of their family background or other circumstances.

“We have done a lot of work, together with our partners, both at county and district level, to help prevent CSE by ensuring youngsters and the public also know the warning signs and how to stay safe.

“CSE is a Force priority and every one of my officers has been trained to spot the warning signs.
“We’ve effective procedures in place to disrupt suspected CSE activity and take action should offences be committed.

“CSE is an insidious crime. It can be very difficult for those affected by CSE to recognise what has happened to them and to understand that they are not responsible.
“I want anyone who fears they may have been affected by CSE to know they can contact police with confidence. We will listen, we will believe them and we will act.

“There is further information about CSE, the warning signs the public can look out for and support services at the Thames Valley Police website.
“Anyone with concerns at all about offences relating to child sexual exploitation, especially if they are a victim or know someone who may be, should contact Thames Valley Police on the 24 hour non-emergency number 101. In an emergency always dial 999.”

Local action to tackle CSE

  • Aylesbury officers have visited secondary schools seven times, giving information about CSE to 1,200 students.
  • TVP has also part-funded the charity Barnardo’s to go visit Aylesbury schools 30 times with the RU Safe presentation, which has been seen by 4,642 students.
  • Officers have also visited three local hotels and B&Bs to talk to staff about CSE, including how to spot it and what to do if hoteliers suspect CSE to be taking place in their premises.
  • Barnardo’s, again co-funded by the Force, has also carried out 95 interviews with children from the Aylesbury area who have returned from going missing.

Further information
If you think you have been a victim of sexual abuse, or are worried about someone, please phone 101, quoting URN 165 18/2/15.
For further information and advice on CSE click here.

A footnote to this item, from Simon Icke, Aston Clinton:

The purpose of this posting is obvious to create awareness of what is going on around us so that parents, friends, uncles & aunts & grandparents etc can keep a close eye on their young people, if suddenly they are withdrawn, have made new friends, staying out late, unexpected new gifts or money then the alarm bells should start ringing. This child sex abuse can happen anywhere including Aylesbury and its surrounding villages. If this posting saves just one young girl being groomed by groups of adult men then it is worth sharing. More than three hundred children have been sexually abused within the Oxfordshire area over a prolonged period this was allowed to happen largely because people buried their heads in the sand or even worse turned a blind eye, pretending it wasn’t happening in their area, therefore it was of no concern to them: How wrong this thinking proved to be.