UNDERCOVER OPERATIONS
LETCHWORTH TAXIS PASS POLICE TEST PURCHASE TO SAFEGUARD LONE WOMEN AND GIRLS
An operation to test the working practices of taxi drivers in North Herts has taken place
in
Letchworth, as part of work to help safeguard women and girls. On March 10, four female students took part in a test purchasing operation to see if taxi drivers would accept lone female passengers requesting destin- ations which were within the minimum fare distance. The operation was to look at whether drivers were following their licence
conditions and
professional codes of conduct by taking young woman for short and unprofitable distances during the evening/night-time. If they
refused the fare, in preference for a longer, more
“It is good to see our local taxi drivers are well aware of their operating guidelines and are willing to put the welfare of passengers before profit.” “This operation is part of our ongoing strategy to
protect
profitable journey, the woman would be left to walk home alone or waiting at the rank. In total the students tested eight cabbies, all of whom accepted the fare and adhered to the terms of their licence. “This was a very successful operation, and I am delighted with the outcome,” said Letchworth Neighbourhood Sergeant, Lisa Perks.
women and girls from violence, test compliance around basic child protection procedures, and raise awareness of child sexual exploitation (CSE). “In November 2022 we implemented a test purchase operation in hotels in Stevenage and North Herts around CSE, which identified good practice as well as some training needs in certain locations. “We are planning more preventative safeguarding operations in the future.”
HOTEL STAFF AND CABBIES FAIL TO RECOGNISE CHILD EXPLOITATION RISKS IN AVON & SOMERSET
A decoy operation by police to raise awareness of CSE found most hotels and taxi firms in Avon and Somerset fail to recognise key signs that a child may be at risk. Plain clothed officers and young volunteer cadets recently made test bookings with local firms as part of Operation Makesafe. Officers visited 22 hotels and B&Bs and attempted to book a room with cash, accompanied by an underage child without ID. Three places refused to book the room due to
concerns that
something wasn’t right. Two hotels refused for other reasons, such as not taking cash, but would have accepted the had it met the
22
requirements. The rest allowed the adult to book the room, no questions asked. Officers and cadets also approached six taxi firms to make bookings for the child to travel alone to a distant location. All of the firms agreed to transport the child, with one taxi office happy to take two children to two different locations outside the force area. Child exploitation prevention officer Androulla Nicolaou said: “These were really disappointing results. It’s hard to see how many people are unaware of the signs of child exploitation, or are not willing to question a customer if they
don’t think something is right. “We all need to take responsibility for protecting vulnerable children within our communities.” Avon and Somerset Police has previously provided training to local businesses on how to spot signs of criminal and sexual child exploitation and the actions to take. Following each
of the visits,
officers gave advice to the hotels and cabbies, with many getting in touch with the police force to take up the offer of training for their staff and employees. Det Insp Grant Boyd said: “This has highlighted a concerning lack of awareness of signs of exploitation or when a child may be at risk.”
APRIL 2023 PHTM
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