Street pastor speaks out after damning Telford CSE report findings

Rev Keith Osmund-Smith, lead co-ordinator of Telford Street Pastors, was also West Mercia Police chaplain up until last year.

In 2016 he raised concerns that the force was not acting on reports of child sexual exploitation (CSE) in the town.

Police responded by launching an investigation into his claims and he was put on sabbatical.

He was ultimately reinstated after it was decided his role as a street pastor did not conflict with his position as police chaplain.

Rev Osmund-Smith welcomed the findings of the Crowther report, which was published this week, and said education would be key across a number of sectors to make sure children are safe from abusers.

He said police and council officials needed to examine why victims were blamed for crimes, instead of being helped.

"I think it is an excellent report," he said. "I think if the 47 recommendations are fully implemented by all those required to then we may have an opportunity to move forward.

"I think we do need to address the ongoing cultural responses from the police and to an extent the council authorities for what happened between 2012 and 2018. There was a deep ingrained cultural response that still laid the blame for a huge amount of criminal activity on the victims of those crimes."

Rev Osmund-Smith added: "I really believe the only answer to this is education, education, education. And that means educating police officers right from the very word go. That is included in the recommendations. Educating teachers, social workers, educating council workers and being aware that safeguarding our young people trumps everything.

"So there has to be money available so that teams that deal with this are beefed up with appropriately trained individuals, so everyone has the opportunity to understand CSE is not something to blame on the part of victims."

Rev Osmund-Smith said that the Street Pastors had become aware of ongoing problems with grooming, focussed on young girls, as part of 'under 18s' events held in Telford.

He said they had regularly witnessed older men trying to pick up girls in cars, and had raised the concerns as part of a scrutiny report prepared by Telford & Wrekin Council in 2016.

It was one of the reports that put the focus on Telford CSE into the spotlight several years on from Operation Chalice.

Rev Osmund-Smith said: "The street pastors were on the streets every occasion there was an under-18 event and week after week we were seeing men from the adult night-time economy cruising in their cars.

He added: "There were occasions when we took girls out of cars because we knew they would be in trouble if they stayed in those cars.

"But still there was no support."