Dyfed-Powys Police is supporting the National Awareness Day for Child Sexual Exploitation on Saturday, March 18, which is led by the charity National Working Group (NWG).

Ammanford police officers will be in Quay Street this Friday from 10am to highlight the issues surrounding child sexual exploitation, to encourage everyone to think, spot and speak out against abuse and adopt a zero tolerance to adults developing inappropriate relationships with children.

Safeguarding children is everybody’s business. Any child can be sexually exploited no matter what culture, ethnicity, religion, whether a boy or a girl from any background.

Detective Chief Inspector Ifan Charles, Protecting Vulnerable People Department, Dyfed Powys Police, said: “It is vitally important that we gain greater knowledge and understanding of Child Sexual Exploitation in order to effectively target activity at local, regional and national level. Police officers are being actively trained to recognise the early signs that can identify children at risk. We all have a role to play in ensuring that children have a safe environment to grow up in.

Social Media will be used on the day to further raise awareness of CSE. Look out for the hashtags on Twitter: #CSE #CSEDay16 #HelpingHands.

School Community Police Officers across the force area will be delivering targeted age appropriate CSE sessions in schools as part of the wider All Wales School Liaison Core Programme.

Bethan James, the Dyfed-Powys Police School Liaison Coordinator, said: “It is vital that we raise awareness of CSE with our children and the staff working in our schools. Designated School Officers have been trained to deliver these sessions. They have the current, up to date knowledge and understanding in order to inform, prevent and protect our future generations.”

At the beginning of March Dyfed-Powys Police launched a specialist team to help tackle the threat of Child Sexual Exploitation. POLIT (Police On-Line Investigation Team), made up of Detectives, Digital Media Investigators, Forensic Examiners and analytical staff, will target offenders, in particular those operating online, who share and distribute indecent images of children.

For more information please visit: www.stop-cse.org.