Hotels given further training after failing to spot the signs of CSE

The targeted operation involved an adult male, played by an officer, trying to book a room with a teenage girl, played by a cadet.

It followed hotel staff across the county being among businesses given the internationally recognised Operation Makesafe training package.

South Yorkshire Police said the two venues in Rotherham which did not report concerns during the tests were given a debrief and more training was arranged.

Six of 13 hotels in Doncaster and one in seven in Barnsley failed to intervene, but all five visited in Sheffield refused a room and challenged the officer and cadet.

Det Chief Insp Melanie Palin, force lead for CSE, said: “Overall, the operations went very well and I am grateful to the officers and young cadets who gave up their time to take part.

“Operations like this are massively important. We work closely with hospitality and other industries to make sure as many people as possible have the necessary training to spot potential signs of child sexual exploitation and know how to take action to safeguard children.”

The undercover tests were carried out ahead of CSE Awareness Day last Saturday to check if staff would spot the signs of potential abuse.

Det Chief Insp Palin said: “This is part of our ongoing commitment to tackling this crime, working in partnership with businesses, agencies, communities and the wider public to protect and safeguard our young people from harm.

“While there has been concerted and targeted activity over the last week in the run-up to CSE Awareness Day, this is a continuous programme of activity and similar operations will be run in the future.”