Hotel staff to be trained to spot CSE

Child exploitation could often take place in hotels, police said

Hotel staff are getting free training from police on how to spot the signs of child sexual exploitation.

West Mercia Police is offering online sessions, led by specialist officers, to staff in Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire, with the first scheduled for 29 April.

The aim of the training – part of a national scheme to educate businesses such as hotels, pubs and taxi companies – is to help people understand what child sexual exploitation is, how to spot the signs and what they can do.

Det Ch Insp Ed Slough said: "We know that child exploitation, in particular sexual exploitation, can often take place in hotels."

He added: "We know that those working in hotels are in a prime position to spot the early signs of exploitation and flag them to us."

Staff will get guidance on questions to ask to gain further information, safely and discreetly, which can then be passed to police allowing them to respond immediately.

Police are also carrying out covert "mystery shopper" visits to hotels to see how staff respond to scenarios involving young people who could be at risk, in order to understand where there are gaps in knowledge and training.

Ask for Angela

The project follows concerns, recently exposed by the BBC, over another scheme to protect people in UK pubs and bars.

Venues that had signed up to the Ask for Angela initiative were not implementing the scheme, an investigation found.

Ask for Angela, which allows people in fear to use the code word "Angela" to get help, aims to provide a lifeline for people who believe they are in danger.

Birmingham Yardley MP Jess Phillips, minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls, last year covertly tested the scheme and said the response she saw was wholly unsatisfactory.