PCC invests £30,000 in app to prevent online child sexual exploitation

Police Commissioner John Campion is committed to tackling child sexual exploitation (CSE) in West Mercia and has donated £30,000 to West Mercia Police to develop an app to reduce the risk of young people falling victim to online CSE.

In 2023, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Police and Fire and Rescue Services made a recommendation to all police forces to improve their management information and data processes to gain insight into risk visibility, prioritisation and effective allocation of resources relating to CSE.

A PowerApp is now being designed and built for West Mercia Police which will enable a full systems approach to reporting levels of CSE, including cases where victims have been exploited online, and the actions taken by the police. This will be fed directly to the PCC, Chief Officers, the Home Office and the National Crime Agency to ensure clearer management of information, where risks can be identified earlier to prevent further cases of online CSE.

PCC John Campion said: “Child sexual exploitation is an appalling crime which continues to cause devastating damage to communities across West Mercia.

“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.

“I am proud to have made this investment, which delivers on another of HMICFRS’s recommendations to ensure West Mercia Police continually improves its response to CSE.”

Chief Inspector Leanne Lowe said: “We continue to do everything we can to tackle child sexual exploitation and it remains a top priority for West Mercia Police.

“We welcome tools that can help build a picture of these crimes and help us bring offenders to justice. “The PowerApp is a great example of how technological advances can support policing. It is vital that we continue to work with our partners to keep communities safe and this is just one example of how we are effectively gathering information to work better together.”