Police crackdown on offenders targeting children and vulnerable people in Cheshire

An operation aimed safeguarding children and vulnerable people took place across Cheshire last week.

Operation Guardians ran from 23rd February to 1st March and brought together teams from across Cheshire Constabulary, including neighbourhood policing units, the Serious Organised Crime Unit, the Foreign National Offender Team, the Online Child Abuse Investigation Team (OCAIT), and the Sex Offender Management Unit, among others.

Officers and staff worked collectively to deter offenders, disrupt criminal activity, carry out checks on known individuals, and build positive relationships with vulnerable young people to help prevent harm.

Throughout the week, SOMU officers conducted unannounced visits to people on the sex offenders’ register to ensure they were complying with Sexual Harm Prevention Orders. Online Child Abuse officers also undertook visits to suspects to ensure bail conditions were being followed.

Officers from Protecting Vulnerable People visited some of Cheshire’s most at risk children, offering support, identifying early warning signs, and preventing circumstances that could put them in danger.

Neighbourhood officers also carried out a range of proactive activity including school and college visits, weapon sweeps in areas affected by anti-social behaviour, and high visibility patrols in key locations.

As a result of the operation, 48 arrests were made for offences including breaches of sexual orders, child sexual communication, county lines drug supply, possession of weapons and controlled drugs, sexual offences, and domestic abuse.

Officers also carried out immigration checks as part of efforts to combat organised immigration crime and ensure vulnerable people were not being exploited under modern slavery legislation.

The operation resulted in a wide range of further outcomes, including:

• Visits to over 40 schools, engaging more than 4,000 children on exploitation, county lines, knife crime, and online safety
• Multiple visits to children identified as being at high risk of exploitation
• Breaches by Registered Sex Offenders identified and acted upon
• A county lines intervention resulting in a £65,000 cannabis seizure
• Challenge 25 and knife test purchasing that led to enforcement action
• 61 visits to Integrated Offender Management (IOM) subjects
• Over 200 vehicles stopped
• 40 stop searches conducted
• Seven vehicles seized
• 41 immigration referrals
• 50 intelligence submissions

Detective Superintendent Chris Williams, who coordinated the operation, said:

“Operation Guardians places a spotlight on the work our officers are doing every single day to protect and safeguard children in Cheshire.

“The protection of children is paramount to us at Cheshire Constabulary, and a key focus of this operation was ensuring known offenders and suspects on bail were not placing any child at further risk.

“It’s vital that anyone intent on harming children understands that we will not allow their actions to go unchecked or unchallenged. While this operation highlights our efforts, this is very much business as usual for us all year round.”

Anyone with information relating to child abuse or exploitation, or who has concerns about someone’s safety, should contact Cheshire Constabulary on 101 or report online via the force website.

Information can also be provided anonymously through Crimestoppers on:

0800 555 111