Barnardo's Chief Executive Lynn Perry reacts to Government's announcement on CCE and Cuckooing
The Government has announced that child criminal exploitation and 'cuckooing', or taking over someone's property to operate criminal activity from, will both become criminal offences.
Lynn Perry said: “Children who are forced to commit crimes are often coerced, threatened and made to feel like there’s no way out. We know that children who are not in school or living in poverty are at greater risk of being exploited. For too long, these children have been treated as criminals, rather than victims in need of protection.
“We know from our work supporting thousands of children across the UK that this can mean they don’t get the support they need, are at continued risk of harm and miss the opportunity to get help to break the cycle.
“We’ve long called for child criminal exploitation to be a specific criminal offence, so we welcome the government’s decision to take this important step, which could have a transformative impact for young people.
“Alongside the new offence, it’s vital that the government publishes a clear definition of child criminal exploitation, so that police, social services, schools and other professionals can work together to identify those at risk, put the right support in place, and give them back their future.”