Operation Makesafe - preventing child sexual exploitation
UKHospitality is a supporter of Operation Makesafe – a national police initiative that works closely with the hospitality sector, specifically hotels and accommodation, to prevent child sexual exploitation.
The initiative has a number of resources available for operators to help educate their teams about how to spot the signs of child sexual exploitations, how to prevent it, and what to do if you suspect it is taking place.
We are encouraging all hotel and accommodation operators to support the initiative by sharing these resources with your teams and working with local neighbourhood police teams to receive training.
What is child sexual exploitation?
Child sexual exploitation is a form of child sexual abuse.
It occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child or young person under the age of 18 into sexual activity in exchange for something the victim needs or wants, and/or for the financial advantage or increased status of the perpetrator or facilitator.
The victim may have been sexually exploited even if the sexual activity appears consensual. Child sexual exploitation does not always involve physical contact; it can also occur through the use of technology.
Any child can be exploited, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity or any other characteristic.
Why is it important you can recognise the signs?
Hotels can be used to exploit and abuse children, but you can help stop it. By learning to spot the signs and report concerns to the police, you can help protect children from unimaginable abuse and long-lasting trauma.
It is only by working together that we can prevent child exploitation. Police forces across England and Wales deliver awareness raising training to hotel staff and conduct other engagement activity under the banner of Operation Makesafe.
What is Operation Makesafe?
Operation Makesafe is a national police initiative that works to prevent child sexual exploitation, specifically incidents which take place in hotels and other forms of accommodation within hospitality.
The operation is overseen by the CSE Taskforce and works across police forces and hospitality operators and representative bodies to tackle this abhorrent crime.
What are the indicators of child exploitation?
Download the full guidance.
There are a number of indicators, including:
Children or young people who seem withdrawn, highly anxious or scared.
Last minute or walk-in bookings involving guests with little or no luggage.
Guests refusing to provide identification or card details, or insisting on paying in cash.
Guests arriving with large amounts of alcohol on their person, this may for example be concealed in shopping bags.
Guests requesting a room that is isolated, or near the rear exit of the premises, fire exits or car park entrances.
Bookings made in a different name to the person checking in without a valid reason, for example employers booking a room on behalf of an employee.
Guests who don’t want rooms cleaned or use the ‘do not disturb’ sign for long periods – your company may well have policies around checking rooms after 24/48 hours please adhere to these guidelines.
Signs of sexual or criminal activity having taken place, such as evidence of alcohol or substance misuse and/or contraception wrappers in guest rooms where young people have been.
Learn more about the signs of child sexual exploitation
Operation Makesafe has produced a dedicated booklet for hotels which provides more information about how to spot the signs, as well as guidance on prevention and what to do in an incident.
What to do if you suspect child exploitation is taking place?
Call the police on 101 or 999 in an emergency – if you are concerned a child is in the company of someone wishing to harm them you must always call 999.
If you have information on child exploitation and abuse or suspect it may be happening but want to remain completely anonymous, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers online or by calling 0800 555 111.
How to deter exploiters from using your hotel?
There are many actions and procedures that hotel staff can implement to make it less likely that perpetrators will use your premises for exploitation.
These include:
A member of staff conducting check-ins to ensure all guests who present at reception match with those on the booking, or maintaining a visible presence in areas containing self-check-in kiosks. This includes checking photo ID.
Ensuring that bookings are only made using a card in the name of one of the guests.
You can also refuse to allow visitors to enter a guest’s room unless they can provide details of the guest including name and surname.
Ensuring you have clear CCTV operating in all main public areas of the hotel including, reception areas, lift lobbies and any bar/restaurant areas.
Ensuring that all rooms are visited regularly by housekeeping.
Ensuring that staff have received training around child sexual exploitation and feel confident speaking knowing how to report their concerns.
The above list is not exhaustive, and with any form of crime, perpetrators will adapt their actions, so we encourage you to remain vigilant and to regularly seek up to date information and guidance.
Learn more about prevention
Operation Makesafe’s guidance includes a more extensive list of prevention measures, as well as how to spot the signs and what to do if you suspect an incident.
