The number of child sex offences reported to police in Staffordshire last year - including rape, grooming and sexual assault - was the second highest in the UK, according to dramatic new figures.
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| Stafford town centre |
But only one in six reports results in charges. In West Midlands, the ratio was one in eight, compared to a UK average of one in five.
An MP has described the figures as 'incredibly concerning' and called for a plan of action to be drawn up.
The number of sex complaints soared by a third across England and Wales, to 41,457 in 2014-15 compared with 31,238 in the previous year.
The number of sex abuse allegations made in Staffordshire between April 2014 and December 2015 was 1,055, second only to the Greater Manchester region. Of these, 173 led to charges.
Complaints made in the West Midlands were far fewer - just over half the number in Staffordshire and one of just a handful of forces throughout the UK which recorded a drop - but just 68 resulted in charges.
The Crown Prosecution Service provided separate figures for prosecutions for child abuse - including sex crimes, child prostitution, child cruelty, trafficked children and historical abuse where the victim was now an adult. In the past three years, there were 825 in the West Midlands and 269 in Staffordshire.
Gavin Williamson , MP for South Staffordshire, said: "It's incredibly concerning. Child protection is one of the most important areas dealt with by any police force.
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| Wootton, Staffordshire |
"We need a clear explanation as to why there is such a high number of cases in Staffordshire and a clear plan of action to address the situation so that instead of being one of the worst forces in relation to his type of distressing offence it is one of the best."
Rob Marris, MP for Wolverhampton South West, called for the intervention of the Police and Crime Commissioner. He said: "The reasons for the apparently worrying performance of West Midlands Police needs to be investigated as a matter of urgency."
Supt Tim Martin, head of Staffordshire Police’s public protection investigation team said protecting vulnerable children from abuse was a priority for the force.
He said: "In addition to adult and child protection teams the force has dedicated teams set up to specifically target child sexual exploitation on street, online (Operation Safenet) and also a multi-agency Prevent team. All this activity means we uncover a greater number of offences as we are actively focusing on them.
“But offenders are often charged with more than one offence which may mean that the proportion of people arrested per offence differs.
"Child sexual exploitation wrecks young lives and we take our duty to protect children and young people extremely seriously."
Why hasn't someone written a program to teach children in elementary school the beginnings of the grooming cycle? And, as they get older, teach them the endings of the grooming cycle.
He said Staffordshire Police was supporting a campaign which launches ahead of a National Child Sexual Exploitation Awareness Day next Friday (18th).
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| Staffordshire, UK |
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