Crime: Children
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will have discussions with the Secretary of State for Justice on aligning the new child criminal exploitation offence with existing modern slavery legislation.
Answered by Natalie Fleet
The Government is committed to tackling the gangs who are luring children into violence and crime. That is why we have legislated for a new offence of child criminal exploitation in the Crime and Policing Act. The Act also provides for new civil orders (child criminal exploitation prevention orders) which will disrupt and prevent child criminal exploitation from occurring or re-occurring.
The Home Office has worked closely with the Ministry of Justice on the delivery of the new child criminal exploitation offence, which will criminalise adults who exploit children by intentionally using them to commit criminal activity.
To support effective implementation of the new offence and prevention orders, the Government is developing statutory guidance for law enforcement about their role in detecting, investigating and preventing child criminal exploitation, as well as their functions relating to child criminal exploitation prevention orders. The guidance will include advice on how these measures complement existing legislation, including the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
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