On the tenth day of Christmas, the Northampton Neighbourhood Team gave to you… a reminder that every child deserves to be loved and protected
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Yesterday (Monday, December 21) was the 10th day of Christmas and the Northampton Neighbourhood policing team focused their efforts on one of the Force’s top priorities – protecting children from abuse and exploitation.
The key message delivered by the team was that every child deserves to be loved, cared for and protected – but sadly this is not always the case. Yesterday, the team achieved the following results:
- When a woman was arrested for Class A drugs offences in Kingsthorpe, Northampton, a vulnerable child was identified as being at risk of neglect and these concerns were escalated to social services.
- The team used intelligence to identify children at risk and carried out welfare checks to their addresses. As a result, four safeguarding referrals were submitted and are being assessed by social services. Concerns for these children range from neglect, sexual exploitation and criminality.
- Throughout the day, officers supported the development of a wider intelligence picture relating to registered sex offenders known to be a risk to children. These people are robustly managed by the Force’s MOSOVO (Management of Sexual and violent Offenders) team.
Sergeant Beth Curlett from the Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “Child abuse is often hidden from view and happening in the home which is the very place a child should feel safe and protected. Sadly the abuse is often at the hands of a family member.
“Child abuse can be physical, sexual, emotional or caused by neglect. All children deserve to be loved, cared for and protected, yet the NPSCC reports that one in 10 children has experienced neglect – this is why we are asking our officers and the public to ‘Look Closer’ to spot the signs of any type of abuse a young person may be experiencing.
“We work alongside our partners in other agencies such as social services, housing, mental health teams and education to ensure everyone is playing their part to protect our most vulnerable.”
Some of the signs to look out for which may indicate a child is at risk might be:
- Being frightened of some people, places or situations
- Being secretive
- Sharp changes in mood or character
- Having money or things they can't or won't explain
- Physical signs of abuse, like bruises
- Alcohol or drug misuse
- Poor appearance or hygiene
- Health or development problems
If you have any concerns about the welfare of a child, you can report concerns directly to social services by following this link:
Alternatively, in an emergency always dial 999 or for non-emergencies to the police call 101. If you would like further advice or support please visit the NSPCC website.