West Mercia PCC funds new PowerApp to enforce report on child sexual exploitation

West Mercia Police Chief Constable John Campion has announced that he has provided £30,000 in funding to West Mercia Police to develop an app to reduce the risk of young people becoming victims of online child sexual exploitation.

This is in response to a 2023 recommendation from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Police and Fire and Rescue Services, which states that all police forces should improve their management information and data processes to understand risk visibility, prioritisation and effective resource allocation in relation to child sexual exploitation.

A PowerApp is currently being designed and built for West Mercia Police. This will enable the police to use a comprehensive system to report the extent of child sexual exploitation, including cases where victims have been exploited online, and the action taken by the police.

This information is passed directly to the PCC, Chief Officers, the Home Office and the National Crime Agency. This allows information to be managed more clearly and risks to be identified earlier, helping to prevent further instances of online child sexual exploitation.

“By investing in tools like the PowerApp, all official agencies can play their part in ensuring that these heinous crimes are eradicated from our society and that immediate action is taken when CSE is reported.”

PCC Director John Campion.

Leanne Lowe, Detective Chief Inspector of West Mercia, said the PowerApp was a great example of how technology can support policing, gather intelligence and enable police to work better together.

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