Following the national awareness day for Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) last Sunday, police are urging people to speak out if they spot any signs of adults developing inappropriate relationships with children in their community.
The CSE campaign, which is led by the charity National Working Group, has been supported online and via social media by Dyfed-Powys Police with the use of the hashtags: #CSE; #CSEDay18; and, #HelpingHands.
School and frontline officers, along with members of the force from the CSE Investigators Team and Police On-Line Investigation Team (POLIT), spent last week targeting suspects and children identified as potential victims.
They also visited hotspot areas, schools and groups to encourage the public to "think, spot and speak out" about child sexual exploitation.
The police want to remind Powys residents that CSE is not contained to urban communities and that any child can become a victim no matter what culture, ethnicity, religion, background or gender they are.
The CSE coordinator for Dyfed-Powys Police Linda Ellis said: "Child sexual exploitation is everybody’s business and is happening in our communities. This is not an issue isolated to more urban areas of the UK, we know it is happening locally and we are working hard to identify and protect those children who are vulnerable and also deal with the adults who are taking advantage of children.
"We have police offers trained to recognise the early signs of CSE that can identify children at risk, but we all have a role to play in ensuring our children are safe. Please, if you suspect someone in your family, social group or wider community is being exploited by any adult, report it immediately to police by calling 101.
"Exploited children are almost always too frightened or ashamed to ask for help themselves, and members of the community including hoteliers, restaurant owners, community shops or youth facility leaders, are urged to speak out if they see someone or something suspicious. By passing their concerns on to the police they could potentially save a child from the nightmare of CSE."
Signs of CSE to look out for include: the victim being secretive; he or she stops engaging with their usual friends; associating with older men or women; going missing; being defensive about where they are and what they are doing; receiving odd calls or messages; and possessing new, expensive items that they may have received as gifts.
To find out more about CSE awareness day, visit the Stop CSE awareness website.
For support from Goleudy, the Dyfed Powys-Police witness and victim support service, visit the Goleudy website, call them on 0300 1232996 or email them using [email protected].