Child protection

Report: 8
Date: 4 November 2004
By: Commissioner

Summary

Report outlining the progress SCD5 (CAIC) has made having relocated to new headquarters at Vauxhall and six monthly review of its’ control strategy with a particular focus on Child Trafficking.

A. Recommendations

That

1. the current focus of activity be endorsed; and
2. members consider how the MPA can support the enhancement of the MPS response to safeguarding children migrating to London.

B. Supporting information

1. The Planning Performance and Review Committee (PPRC) has requested a report that:

• Follows up on the MPS response to Organised Immigration Crime report produced by the MPS and presented to PPRC on 12 July 2004.
• Details of discussions held with airlines and any developments.
• Gives an opinion on the values of trafficking being a priority in 2003-04 (Policing Plan target – to increase the number of operations aimed at disrupting organised trafficking offences).
• Identify any financial or resource implications of the current work.
• Any other information the MPS considers relevant.

Update on 12 July Organised Immigration Crime report

2. The MPS is continuing to negotiate with the UK Immigration Service (UKIS) and Greater London Association of Directors of Social Services (GLADSS) to identify a lead in government to take forward the recommendations of Paladin Child. The three police officers assigned to the Ports Safeguarding responsibilities together with the analyst and researcher have been brought under the line management of the Child Abuse Investigation Command (CAIC) Intelligence Unit. They are co-located with the Child Abuse Prevention and Partnership Unit at our new headquarters in Vauxhall.

3. Training Immigration Officers is being undertaken, eight from their Minors Team having now completed our induction course. Our Heathrow officer remains fully employed safeguarding children in transit through Heathrow and we are in discussion with colleagues from the airport and Special Branch in the preparation of a memorandum of understanding to cover the following areas:

• Child Trafficking
• Child Abduction
• Forced Marriages
• Female Genital Mutilation
• Sex Tourism
• Debriefing of deported/travelling paedophiles.

4. CAIC has not been resourced to provide a 24-hour response at the airport and the support of our colleagues based permanently there is essential to safeguard travelling children.

5. The MPS have successfully convicted our first child traffickers for cruelty, facilitation and document offences. Saudi Airlines identified the suspects after a nine-year-old Afghan child was abandoned at the airport. The couple from Pakistan were purporting to be husband and wife and received sentences of 21 and 15 months imprisonment respectively, prior to deportation.

6. A child abuse investigator is based at the Asylum Screening Unit in Lunar House Croydon supporting UKIS staff. Since his arrival on a part time basis in February, twenty-two children have been identified as being at risk and have been accommodated by Social Services across London. The work is different to that at Heathrow, although the principles remain the same, the pressure of time is more manageable as an appointment system is in operation. Five arrests have been made for offences related to child trafficking but the CAIC could quickly become inundated with reactive investigations, which we have not been resourced to undertake. Assistant Commissioner (AC) Ghaffur is currently overseeing a review of the MPS reactive capability that takes account of new offences involving trafficking for sexual exploitation introduced under the Sex Offences Act 2004 and the “new business” identified by our presence at ports.

7. CAIC is currently liaising with Special Branch, UKIS and British Transport Police (BTP) regarding safeguarding issues at Waterloo International, the route Victoria Climbié took to the UK. We expect to enter into a memorandum of understanding regarding the same issues as raised above regarding Heathrow although we have not been resourced to provide a permanent presence at this key terminal and BTP do not have a clear safeguarding remit. We are currently scoping with UKIS the vulnerability of children arriving in the UK by this route.

Partnership with airlines

8. The MPS are currently planning an initiative at Heathrow to identify safeguarding issues for all the major airlines using Terminal 3 when airline “aunties” hand over unaccompanied children to adults after passing through UKIS and customs.

MPS trafficking priority

9. The Department have greatly valued trafficking being an MPS priority and we are part of the “Maxim family” which involves a regular interface with other commands involved in this emerging area of business. It is not however, our view that organised crime provides the main threat to children but a greater risk is posed by the abuse of private fostering regulations and children fail to find the “better life” their families in the source countries desire. Our view is that they are more likely to be exploited for their commercial and economic value by extended family members who do not have the close blood bond a natural parent would have.

Other relevant information

10. In October 2004 we carried out a half-year review of our control strategy and have realigned our priorities to four key areas in support of the current MPS safeguarding objective:

• Intra-familial abuse including carers and professionals
• Targeting predatory paedophiles to include internet offences
• The investigation of child deaths
• Child abuse in distinct communities

11. The following information will be of interest to members:

Accommodation

12. The HQ of CAIC has now completed the second of a three stage move to superior accommodation at Vauxhall leading to a much improved environment for our staff. The following units are now co-located:

• SMT and Secretariat.
• Paedophile Squad
• Intelligence Cell
• Child Abuse Prevention and Partnership Unit
• Quality Assurance, Performance and Crime Management Units
• Human Resources and Finance/Resources Departments

13. The Hi-Tec Crime Unit and West London Major Investigation Team will relocate in spring 2005 when more space becomes available.

Child deaths

14. Since April 2004 CAIC have taken the lead in the investigation of suspicious child deaths. Since then, police are aware of the death of 39 children in London homes. Nine of these have been treated as suspicious and three are classified as murder. We continue to work closely with Borough colleagues who lead on the investigation of Sudden Unexplained Death of an Infant (SUDI is accepted the new term for cot death or sudden infant death). It is our aspiration to take the lead in all infant death enquiries but this will require some growth. This will lead to a far more professional service to families and help to meet the recommendations of Baroness Kennedy’s recent inter-collegiate report on this issue.

Child examination havens

15. The project known as Amethyst continues to make progress although slower than we would like. At the beginning of October the pilot suite for the examination of child victims of chronic sexual abuse opened at Northwick Park Hospital using MPA funds to provide specialist forensic medical equipment to carry out intimate examinations (£38K). A specialist NHS project manager has been employed using MPA funds (£40K) to oversee this and the proposed second suite at Great Ormond Street Hospital and negotiations continue with the various stakeholders to develop both suites to full usage.

Child abuse seminar

16. In November the command will host a seminar to be opened by Sir Ian Blair entitled ‘Understand and Deliver’. This is a joint initiative with the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers (ACAL) and representatives from a wide range of survivor groups as well as the recognised charities such as Childline and NSPCC will have the opportunity to advise and comment on our quality of service to the victims of child abuse.

C. Race and equality impact

Child abuse in distinct communities

1. An attempt has been made to draw together a number of specific areas of our work under one heading for more effective management under our control strategy. The following areas are subject to ongoing activity:

• Child trafficking
• Child abduction
• Forced marriages
• Female genital mutilation
• Abuse in places of worship
• Ritual abuse

2. Work continues with the Safeguarding Children Independent Advisory Group, our two partnership development officers and relevant government and local authority departments to ensure the wider community needs are understood and met.

3. A project to evaluate our response to working with children with disabilities is being undertaken and commence training of 50 Child abuse Investigators in November, with the first of a series of workshops in partnership with SCOPE, National Death Children’s’ Society and National Autism Society.

D. Financial implications

During the financial year 2003/4 we received significant funding from Reflex the government led initiative to counter trafficking (£100k). For this current year, we have redirected resources from other areas of the command and will not be able to develop this area further without an increase in funding.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report authors: Peter Spindler, Detective Chief Superintendent, Child Abuse Investigation Command

For more information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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