'Safe Skills' will be offered to Schools to protect child from being sexually exploited

A ground breaking project between Police, Councils and child protection experts to help protect young people from being sexually exploited is being launched in Merseyside.

‘Safe Skills' will be offered to Schools throughout the county with the aim of giving children and teenagers the knowledge and ability to spot older people trying to groom them online and in person.

Merseyside Police has been working with young person's charity Ariel Trust in Liverpool as well as safeguarding experts from all five local authorities and the NSPCC to create a free educational package to be delivered by primary and secondary School teachers to their class.

Pupils will get to watch several animated films showing real life scenarios which they can relate to such as gaming in their bedroom or hanging out in a local park which are designed to prompt discussions about 'what would you do next?‘. The films will show how things like talking to a stranger online while gaming or being encouraged by an older person to bunk off School can put you at risk if that person turns out to have more sinister motives.

The Schools package will develop young people's resilience to protect themselves against these risks by using the films, role plays and interactive activities about grooming behaviours and controlling relationships. Research from the United States suggests that children are more likely to put into practice skills for getting themselves out of risky situations if they have learnt them through role play rather than having just been taught them.

Children will be encouraged to identify opportunities where the character in the film can take action or ask for support and use communication skills to question who they really are speaking to rather than accepting at face value what a stranger online tells them.

The animated style of the films and the scenarios were created following consultation with young victims of sexual exploitation, the Ariel Trust and Liverpool City Council's 'Protect' team. Online gaming, 'park life‘, revealing private information online, talking about your feelings and how a bystander can help were found to be the most important topics to young people.

The project is being delivered to Schools in Liverpool, St Helens, Wirral, Sefton and Knowsley with the aim of encouraging every School in Merseyside to incorporate it into their curriculum so it can be used throughout the academic year.

Detective Superintendent Dave Brunskill from Merseyside Police's protecting vulnerable people unit, said:- "Sexual exploitation exists in lots of different forms and it is not always obvious to the victim when it 1st starts happening. Groomers use the cloak of anonymity the web provides to hide who they really are and the real reason they are befriending them. Once they have won the victim's trust, they can exploit them for sexual or financial gain and the consequences for that young person can be dreadful. We need to stop this happening to young people by arming our children with the knowledge and skills to develop an in built sense of what to be wary of, what to question and how to seek help. The best way of doing this is getting them talking about it with their friends and classmates so that wherever they are, be it on their phone in the playground or on their games console in their bedroom, they know what to do and how to do it. The Safe Skills resource gives teachers everything they need to build CSE themes into everyday learning in an exciting and innovative way so that the children become genuinely interested and learn through role play, interactive tasks and discussion amongst themselves. The pilot in 17 Schools in Merseyside earlier this year was really encouraging and, thanks to support from the 5 local authorities and the pilot Schools themselves our ambition now is to embed Safe Skills into as many Schools in Merseyside as possible so that each and every child is better protected from harm."

Paul Ainsworth, director at Ariel Trust said:- "Even though there are many different resources out there for raising awareness about CSE, there are questions about how much they can actually change behaviour. The reason why the Safe Skills project is unique is because it has been developed by children in Merseyside for children in Merseyside and helps give them the relevant and proactive skills and strategies to know how to behave if they are in a risky situation."

The scheme has been part funded by the Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner, Jane Kennedy. She said:- "Child Sexual Exploitation is a dreadful crime which can have a devastating impact on the lives of victims and their families. It destroys lives and impacts on whole communities. This new 'Safe Skills' resource has been developed by the Ariel Trust in partnership with Merseyside Police and many other community safety agencies. It aims to talk to young people in a language they understand, using real life examples of youngsters who have experienced sexual exploitation. It shows young people how to spot the tell tale danger signs of grooming and equips them so they know what to do and who to speak to if they have any concerns or fears. Our aim is to give young people the awareness and skills so they know how to protect themselves both in the real world and in the virtual one, while giving them the confidence to speak out when they need help. I welcome the launch of this great preventative tool in our Schools and I thank all those who were involved in creating it for the benefit of young people on Merseyside."

Merseyside's 5 local authorities have also contributed funding for the initiative.

Sefton Borough Council's cabinet member for Children, Schools and Safeguarding, John Joseph Kelly said:- "Helping young people to become more aware of the potential risks and dangers when they are on line is a priority. We want to ensure children are able to spot potential dangers on all online platforms and know who to speak to should they ever feel unsafe."

For more information about the work of the Ariel Trust visit:- ArielTrust.Com.

For advice for young people of all ages about sexual exploitation as well as advice for teachers and parents / guardians visit:- ListenTomyStory.Co.UK.

13 People sentenced over conspiracy to supply drugs and firearms offences

MERSEYSIDE Police have confirmed that 13 People, 12 men and 1 woman, have been sentenced after being convicted of to conspiracy to supply drugs and firearms offences. When all sentences have been added up, it comes to more than 82 years!

The sentencing follows an extensive investigation by the Matrix Serious Organised Crime Team into the supply of controlled drugs (heroin, cocaine, cannabis, spice) by a Sefton based organised crime group who were supplying drugs across Sefton.

Detective Superintendent Lee Turner, said:- "13 people have been sentenced for their part in a conspiracy to supply drugs in Sefton. This group was responsible for thousands of drugs deals on a daily basis and brought misery to the streets were they plied their criminal trade. Those involved in the group were also responsible for anti social behaviour around the Hereford Drive estate and were not averse to using violence and intimidation to protect their drugs business. Organised crime groups like this, who deal in the wholesale supply and distribution of controlled drugs, don't care about the impact that supply of drugs has in our communities. But I would like to reassure the decent members of our communities that Merseyside Police is committed to tackling the supply of drugs and we will continue to proactively tackle criminal gangs who think nothing of flooding the streets with dangerous drugs in order to profit from other people's misery. There is nothing more that undermines public confidence than being able to see people visibly profiting from crime and we are determined to show people like Shiels and his associates that crime doesn't pay."

Det Supt Turner added:- "Kyle Shiels and Terry Nixon were not content with dealing drugs in communities across Sefton. With assistance from David McGrady and Kevin Bell they devised a plan to convey drugs into Her Majesty's Prison Liverpool, using innovative techniques to get the drugs in to associates who were in the Prison. Even when Kyle Shiels was remanded to Her Majesty's Prison Liverpool he continued to arrange for large amounts of drugs and phones to be conveyed into Her Majesty's Prison Liverpool using Connor McKevitt. They would try to intimidate Officers who were working in the area following concerns raised about drug dealing, because they were disrupting their drugs business as a result of regular stop checks. But the Neighbourhood Officers were undeterred and continued to build up evidence to support the Matrix investigation in to this organised group. The message is clear, we are relentless in our pursuit of those involved in serious organised crime and will continue to do all we can to put our communities 1st and remove the threat, risk and harm these individuals bring to our streets."

Area Commander for Sefton, Chief Superintendent Paul White, said:- "Protecting our communities is a priority for Merseyside Police and those sentenced were having a real negative impact on the residents of the Hereford Drive estate and other areas in Sefton. "There is no doubt in my mind that when the residents, who were affected by the criminal activities of these individuals, see the photographs of those sentenced will breathe a sigh of relief. I want to take this opportunity to reassure residents that when we receive information about drug related crime and gun crime we will act. In relation to drug dealing, we often have to carry out an extensive operation, which can take some months, to gather evidence to ensure that when we get those involved to Court the only option available is a Prison sentence. But I want to reassure our communities that Merseyside Police is relentless in its pursuit of those involved in serious and organised crime and we will do all we can to find those involved and put them before the Courts to keep our communities safe. We will continue to work closely with our partner agencies, including Sefton Council, to combat anti social behaviour and criminality. But we cannot do this without the public. The streets of Bootle, and other areas, belong to everyone and we rely on our communities to tell us when there are criminal issues in their area so that we can take positive action and protect our communities from those involved in criminality. Any information supplied to us in relation to serious and organised crime will be acted upon."

Cllr Trish Hardy, Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing, said:- "As a Council we are committed to putting our residents 1st and creating safe communities across the borough. Unfortunately our strong and vibrant neighbourhoods in Bootle have been disturbed by a number of anti social behaviour incidents and organised crime. I am delighted that through partnership work with Merseyside Police we are able to bring those responsible to justice and ensure that our communities remain safe for our residents."