The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has welcomed the findings of the Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland (CJI) report into Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE). Senior police leadership confirmed their commitment to improving the service-wide response to ensure that exploited children are prioritised as victims and that those responsible for their abuse are held to account.

Detective Chief Superintendent Zoe McKee stated that the PSNI is working alongside the Department of Justice and other partners to tackle the issue through a "whole system approach." She noted that enhanced governance is already in place via a CCE Delivery Group led by the Public Protection Branch to drive a cross-departmental action plan.

"We acknowledge the findings and recommendations made by Criminal Justice Inspection and welcome the opportunity to further strengthen our service-wide response. Children who are exploited are victims first. Children deserve the very best and as a Service, we are committed to ensuring that they are seen, heard and safeguarded — and that those who abuse and exploit them are held accountable," said Detective Chief Superintendent McKee. Acknowledging the challenges of balancing enforcement with the best interests of the child, the PSNI confirmed it has formally adopted a cross-departmental definition of Child Criminal Exploitation. Work is now underway to embed this into daily operations through several key measures:

• The development of improved data recording to track cases more effectively.

• Updates to prosecutorial documents to highlight exploitation factors and National Referral Mechanism considerations.

• The introduction of specific "person flags" to identify children at risk.

• Regular performance reporting to the Northern Ireland Policing Board.

Detective Chief Superintendent McKee also detailed a strengthening of training and awareness across the organisation. This includes a new eLearning package, the inclusion of CCE in foundation and specialist investigative training, and multi-agency exercises designed to help frontline officers recognise indicators of exploitation.

The PSNI is collaborating with the Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland and academic partners at Queen's University Belfast to create better analytical tools and screening processes. Furthermore, through the Twin Sight North initiative, the police are working to map criminal networks and identify the adults who groom and exploit young people.

Addressing the issue of resources mentioned in the CJI report, Detective Chief Superintendent McKee added: "I also acknowledge the report's observations regarding resourcing. 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."