Deputy Mayor responds to Children’s Society report

Responding to the Children’s Society's ‘Counting Lives: Responding to Children that are Criminally Exploited’ report, Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester Bev Hughes said: “This is an important report from the Children’s Society. The findings that children as young as seven are being introduced to the world of criminal gangs is horrifying and we all have a part to play to protect the most vulnerable in society.

“Here in Greater Manchester we have recognised for some time the risks posed by the exploitation of children and other vulnerable people. Agencies across the city region are successfully working together in a coordinated and systematic way to disrupt criminal gangs and we are having real success. From training hundreds of frontline workers across Greater Manchester to recognise the signs of child exploitation and what they should do about it, to having multi-agency teams working together to crack down on this form of child abuse, to the successful prosecution of these wicked gangs that destroy lives, we are recognised nationally as a centre of best practice that is making a real difference on the ground.

“We are doing more now to tackle this problem than at any point in the past and are a beacon of hope and action which I hope gives real reassurance to parents and the wider public. We will continue our relentless drive to protect our children from exploitation and I would like to thank the Children’s Society for shining a light on this terrible issue.”

Article Published: 05/07/2019 13:45 PM