Youngsters in Shropshire are at increasing risk of criminal exploitation from others their own age.
The shocking revelation that vulnerable teenagers are being forced to coerce new recruits to deal drugs is emerging in towns in the county.
Clare Jervis, who manages the Trees team, said cannabis was an issue for many young people involved in criminal exploitation. A campaign is underway to raise community awareness of signs of the exploitation of young people and ways that concerns can be reported. Among those at the event will be the Bright Stars Boxing Club, which works to divert children away from criminal exploitation into positive activities.
“Parents and carers have little influence over these contexts, and young people’s experiences of extra-familial harm. We want our message to be very clear; the only way we can tackle exploitation is to raise awareness amongst our communities including assisting others to know the signs/indicators of criminal and sexual exploitation so that children can be protected from harm.
“If you have information about anti-social or criminal activity or behaviour - even where you do not know who is at risk or of concern - which indicates that child exploitation may be occurring and you do not have information about specific children, please ensure you pass this information to West Mercia Police as soon as possible to enable them to prevent and detect crime.
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