PSNI Needs to Improve Response to Missing Children Reports
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) requires enhancements in its approach to handling reports of missing children, according to a recent report.
The Criminal Justice Inspection (CJI) conducted an examination of how the entire criminal justice system addresses child criminal exploitation (CCE).
Inspectors identified that the PSNI lacks a clear framework for addressing CCE, with frontline officers and staff demonstrating insufficient "awareness and training" on the issue.
Detective Chief Superintendent Zoe McKee stated that the PSNI acknowledged the report and welcomed the opportunity to "further strengthen" its responses.
The Department of Justice defines CCE as a form of child abuse involving individuals or groups exploiting a power imbalance to "coerce, control, manipulate or deceive" anyone under 18 into criminal activities.
This exploitation can lead to children and young people being used to store drugs or weapons, engage in drug dealing, or participate in other criminal acts.
What Does the Report Say?
The report revealed that young people are often "treated as suspects rather than victims."
It cited a case where a 15-year-old girl was arrested on suspicion of drug offences, while the adult male accompanying her was not detained.
Police believed the seized substances belonged to the man and were merely carried by the child, but no connection was made to CCE in this instance.
The report criticized the police interview process for relying heavily on the child making admissions instead of pursuing an evidence-based investigation.
It also noted that the girl might have been hesitant to provide evidence against her potential exploiter, who was a relative, a factor not recognized by the officers.
Inspectors found no evidence that safeguarding actions were taken to protect the child.
CJI inspectors further stated that frontline PSNI officers and staff lacked adequate training to identify, investigate, or disrupt cases of CCE.
The report found that many missing children were recorded as concerns for safety rather than as missing person reports.
Additionally, some records reviewed during fieldwork contained victim-blaming language.
Audits of 34 PSNI files indicated that possible CCE cases were not "explicitly identified," and there was no evidence that police "effectively investigated or disrupted" suspected exploitation.
Overall, the report concluded that the criminal justice system's response was "inconsistent and, in many respects, inadequate."
Missed Opportunities
Another case study in the report highlighted a missed opportunity by police to recognize a young man's vulnerability to exploitation.
The individual had been known to police since age 14 due to criminal behavior linked to drug use.
He frequently owed money to drug dealers and had been approached to join a loyalist paramilitary group.
Although he declined to join, he remained involved in other criminal activities and had accrued 20 convictions by age 21.
Only after multi-agency support was implemented was he able to become drug-free and rebuild family relationships.
The report emphasized that this situation could have been an opportunity for police to identify his vulnerability to CCE and implement safeguarding measures.
Protecting Children from Abuse
CJI's Chief Inspector, Jacqui Durkin, stated that the "exact scale" of CCE in Northern Ireland remains unknown.
She called for a "joined up approach across the PSNI" to assess resources used to combat child exploitation and to "disrupt offenders and bring perpetrators to justice."
Durkin also noted that many reports concerning children are "reports of concern" rather than missing person reports.
"Unfortunately what we found is that children who go missing from children's homes... sometimes there wasn't that curiosity about where they were or who they had been with,"she added.
She emphasized the need for officers to treat "children as children" and not focus solely on their behavior or alleged behavior.
Durkin also advocated for educating children about various forms of exploitation to enhance their protection.
Detective Chief Superintendent McKee said the PSNI welcomed the report's findings and recommendations, noting that "significant work" is underway to address CCE.
"Despite ongoing financial and workforce constraints, our specialist officers and staff in Public Protection Branch and across local policing continue to work hard to better protect some of the most vulnerable children in our society,"she said.
Justice Minister Naomi Long emphasized that victims should be regarded as children needing protection rather than criminalization.
She highlighted that substantial efforts have already been made to tackle CCE through an action plan launched in September 2024.
"This programme of work is ongoing and includes strengthening early identification, enhancing collaborative problem-solving, providing staff training, and prioritising timely intervention to prevent harm,"she said.
