A NEW government report into child protection by the police has highlighted failings in the way Dyfed-Powys police operate. Children were detained in Police custody ‘unnecessarily’ overnight, and in some cases delays in high tech support meant that the phones and computers of sex-offence suspects were not analysed for several months.

In cases involving teens, Child Sexual Exploitation was ‘not routinely considered,’ and in a number of cases the report said: ‘The behaviour and demeanour of the child was not recorded.’ It was noted that there was no system in place for ‘flagging’ records of children subject to the child protection plan, which could lead to control room staff and frontline officers not being aware of a child’s circumstances.

However, the report, by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary praised Dyfed-Powys police for their efforts in improving the protection of children, and singled out the rapid initial response when child safety was at risk, and added that ‘safeguarding remained central to efforts while officers pursued criminal investigative opportunities.’

It also acknowledged the high workloads of a small specialist team, and accepted that the ‘large geographical area policed by the force posed an extra challenge.’

Of 33 cases reviewed by the Inspectorate, 12 were shown to demonstrate good practice. However the work on nine cases was considered inadequate.

Dru Sharpling of the HMIC said: “I was pleased to find that Dyfed-Powys Police has a strong commitment to improving the protection of children. For instance, a number of the cases we looked at where children had gone missing from home showed that the risk of child sexual exploitation had not been considered. In one case this resulted in children being referred to as ‘attention seekers’ which left them exposed to the risk of sexual exploitation. Dyfed-Powys needs to reduce the delays in investigations. We found in a number of cases that despite good initial investigative work, too often there were delays that would have an impact on the welfare of the children. I encourage Dyfed-Powys Police to act on our recommendations as a matter of urgency, and I have asked that within six weeks it provides me with an action plan to demonstrate how it will take forward our recommendations for improvement.”

Det. Superintendant Andy John ‘welcomed’ the findings. He said: “It is pleasing to see that the HMIC acknowledge that staff are highly committed, knowledgeable, and dedicated to providing the best possible outcomes for children.”

Over the course of the next two years, every police force in England and Wales will be assessed in how efficiently they safeguard children and young people who are at risk.