NEW FIGURES released by police show that 177 people have been charged with child sexual exploitation offences in South Yorkshire in the last three years.
From January 2013 to the end of January 2016, 681 offences have been ‘flagged’ with the child sexual exploitation marker.
A South Yorkshire Police spokesman said:
"Accurate figures show that 177 people were charged with child sexual exploitation offences from January 2015 to the end of January 2016, and a further 22 people were summonsed to court.
"That’s one person prosecuted for every 3.4 cases of child sexual exploitation in South Yorkshire, compared to the national average of one in five.
"Tackling child sexual exploitation is a priority for South Yorkshire Police and we are committed to building on the progress we have made.
“We have dedicated multi-agency teams established in each district, which focus on child sexual exploitation to prevent offences, to protect vulnerable children, and to hold offenders to account."
