Detectives
honoured
for tackling
grooming

Detective Sergeant Steve Barnes and Detective Constable Joel Clayton received a Chief Executive’s Award at the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) awards.

The detectives began work on a police operation that started with a West Yorkshire victim who was blackmailed into taking part in sexual activity on a webcam.

The investigation quickly identified a further 109 victims across the world, enabling police to protect them from further harm, and resulted in the jailing of two men in Kuwait for a total of 10 years.

West Yorkshire Police Assistant Chief Constable Ingrid Lee said: “Tackling child sexual exploitation is one of the highest priorities for this force and I am delighted that this has been recognised by a top national award.

“Steve and Joel deserve special praise for the work they have done, which has been outstanding, and I am especially proud of them and the many other officers who day in, day out, are going the extra mile to stop this dreadful crime and catch those responsible for harming young people.

“This most recent award in particular links in with force-wide campaigns we have been investing in to tackle the issue, such as the recent “Know the Signs” campaign, which highlights what to look for and the impact this crime has on victims.

“The force has worked in partnership with local charity Parents Against Child Sexual Exploitation to record their experiences on a video and to help raise awareness of the issues.”

It is the second award the force has won in the past few years in relation to child sexual exploitation. In 2009 West Yorkshire Police received an award for Outstanding Contribution to Police Deployment in Child Protection from CEOP for “going the extra distance” in helping the organisation in its work.