Taxi Drivers to be trained in spotting vulnerable children

Taxi Drivers in Nottinghamshire will be trained by the county council to spot the signs of childhood sexual exploitation.

There are around 4,000 drivers across the county, and they are being advised to report any activity they deem as suspicious to the police and social services.    

It follows previous cases of exploitation in other areas of the country, which have involved taxi drivers, and while the issue hasn't arose in our area yet, officials at Nottinghamshire County Council say they refuse to be complacent on the matter.

Steve Edwards, the service director for children's social care at Nottinghamshire County Council said: "With our district council colleagues and the police, we've worked to inform drivers about vulnerable children and adults to pick up warning signs.

"For example, if they're transporting a drunk 14-year-old girl to a hotel with an older male. There's a whole range of scenarios that we've trained them in."

The county council are hoping that the new training will help to continue reducing levels of sex crimes across the county, following a significant drop in cases of rape and sexual assault in 2015, compared to the three years beforehand.

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