Further PCC statement on Telford Child Sexual Exploitation

West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion said:

“Protecting the most vulnerable people has been a top priority since my election in May 2016. I have backed that up by providing additional resources to our police to protect vulnerable people, improving victim services, commissioning new projects to tackle child exploitation in our communities and holding the Chief Constable to account for policing of this. In that time, good progress has been made. I fully recognise the current scale and impact of the issue. I have fully supported the existing independent inquiry into child sexual exploitation which will encompass Telford. This is a national approach that will investigate the scale and severity of this issue nationwide.”

“We have been waiting for that review to focus on Telford as part of its work for over a year now. In that time, it is clear that the situation in Telford continues to evolve, including the way that our communities feel about historic cases of abuse, some of which date back almost 40 years. Whether or not there should be an independent inquiry into child sexual exploitation in any part of the country is a matter for Government. It is my role to represent our communities and to that end, I would support whatever scrutiny is appropriate and necessary to reassure communities and help victims in the most timely fashion.”

 Issued: Tuesday 13th March 2018