Hotel employees confront undercover exploitation team

The Trafficking and Exploitation Unit of Warwickshire Police recently carried out a covert operation to assess whether hotel staff can recognize signs of child sexual exploitation (CSE). During Operation Makesafe, officers tested five hotels, and four of them questioned the relationship between a police cadet and an accompanying adult.

For this operation, teenage cadets and officers posed as ordinary members of the public, attempting to book rooms for the night in hotels located in Nuneaton and Rugby. Detective Sergeant Dan Lydster explained the challenge for hotel staff: Its tough for them because they aim to be welcomingthey dont want to interrogate customers. But showing professional curiosity and being willing to refuse service when necessary is vital.

This was the second time Warwickshire Police carried out such checks within a year. The main goal was to determine whether staff would accept a spontaneous booking once it became evident that the adult and child were not related.

Since the previous operation, childrens charity Barnardo's has been offering guidance to hotel staff on recognizing potential signs of CSE. These warning signals include booking a double room for a single night, paying in cash, not providing identification, and arriving without luggage.

DS Lydster described the results from the latest visits as largely encouraging, noting that staff questioned the suspicious bookings in 80% of cases. This time we approached things differently than before. Barnardos provided early training to many local hotels to guide their response to warning signs. We included hotels that had received training and those that had not, he said.

The initiative highlights the importance of vigilance in the hospitality sector to help prevent child exploitation, ensuring staff can act appropriately when encountering suspicious situations.

Author: Sophia Brooks