A REPORT issued by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) has criticised Dyfed-Powys Police for failing to recognise the full extent of child sexual exploitation in the area.

The report, published this week, examined child protection work carried out by Dyfed-Powys Police follow an October 2014 assessment and as part of a rolling programme of inspections of all police forces in Wales and England.

There was concern that in one case, vulnerable children were labelled "attention seekers", which, according to report, left the youngsters "exposed to the risk of sexual exploitation".

Inspectors concluded that the force showed "a lack of understanding of the extent of child sexual exploitation and an inconsistent response across the force area".

There was concern regarding "significant delays" in the investigation of cases involving child protection issues.

The HMIC also criticised the number of occasions in which children has been "unnecessarily detained" in police custody overnight.

However, the report said Dyfed-Powys had shown "a strong commitment to improving child protection services" and praised the individual staff members responsible for managing child abuse investigations as "highly committed, hard working, knowledgeable and dedicated".

There was also praise for the speed in which initial enquiries were undertaken in relation to child safety issues and for the fostering of good working relationships with local authorities and other relevant agencies.

HM Inspector of Constabulary Dru Sharpling said: “I was pleased to find that Dyfed-Powys Police has a strong commitment to improving the protection of children.

"It was evident from our inspection that staff were highly committed and that officers were quick in their initial response to issues of child safety.

“However, there is room for improvement in some important areas.

“For instance, a number of the cases we looked at where children had gone missing from home showed that the risk of child sexual exploitation had not been considered.

"In one case this resulted in children being referred to as ‘attention seekers’ which left them exposed to the risk of sexual exploitation.

“Dyfed-Powys needs to reduce the delays in investigations. We found in a number of cases that despite good initial investigative work, too often there were delays that would have an impact on the welfare of the children.

“I encourage Dyfed-Powys Police to act on our recommendations as a matter of urgency, and I have asked that within six weeks it provides me with an action plan to demonstrate how it will take forward our recommendations for improvement”.

Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime Commissioner Christopher Salmon said: “The protection of children and other vulnerable individuals is a priority for me so I welcome this HMIC report.

“I’m aware of the issues raised by HMIC; the Chief Constable assures me that improvements are already being made.

“I want to see further improvements and will closely scrutinise the police response to this report.”

The HMIC has recommended that Dyfed Powys Police take immediate steps to improve reduction in delays, regular auditing of investigations and better senior management oversight to ensure these standards are being met.

Identify and reviews all child abuse investigation cases that have taken more than three months to investigate from the first report, and ensures that each child is supported and safeguarded, and that appropriate measures are in place to manage the risk posed by suspects.

The HMIC report praised:

•A strong commitment to improving child protection services

•Staff responsible for managing child abuse investigations were highly committed, hard working, knowledgeable and dedicated to providing the best possible outcomes for children

•Officers responded quickly and undertook thorough initial enquires about the immediate safety of children

•Good relationships with local authorities and other partner agencies, and full engagement with the work to develop the regional safeguarding board.

However, inspectors were concerned to find:

•Significant delays in the investigation of child protection cases

•Children were being unnecessarily detained in police custody overnight

•A lack of understanding of the extent of child sexual exploitation and an inconsistent response across the force area

•Poor recording on police systems