British Psychological Society Research Seminar on

Stranger Child AbductionCEOP, a National Crime Agency Command,

London12th June 2014

Stranger Child Abduction in the UK (Craig Collie, University of Portsmouth)

Police perspective - investigative challenges and community impact (Local investigations) (Charlie Hedges, CEOP)

Police perspective - investigative challenges and community impact (Child Rescue Alert) (Charlie Hedges, CEOP)

Offenders - what do we know, what don't we know (Helen Whittle, Behavioural Analysis Unit, CEOP)

Prevention – beyond stranger danger? (Geoff Newiss, PACT)

Agenda

Where are the gaps in knowledge?

Discussion 1:

Prevalence True number of abductions unknown (hidden by recording under other crimes e.g. rape or

murder) Under-reporting of offences (e.g. why are offences/attempts not reported, how to encourage

reporting) Drivers of increase/decrease in child abduction Influence and impact and increased opportunities created by the internet (any evidence of

displacement from offline to online offending?)

The abduction How to define opportunism? The offender may still have rehearsed and planned the event

even if (s)he hadn’t planned to do it at that particular time Motivation (differences and implications e.g. gang; maternal; sexual) Any crossover/overlap with internal trafficking Attempted abductions (How do they differ to completed abductions? What can we learn

from failed attempts? What are the consequences of attempts for the offender i.e. what does he/she do next?)

Timescale of the abduction (opportunities to intervene/exploit) Geography of offences, locations (encounter, attack, release or disposal), distance travelled

to and from offences◦ Investigators don’t always know the abduction site ◦ A vehicle sighting might be one of the first lines of inquiry

When should attempts be subject to a full and urgent police response? Differences between kidnap, false imprisonment, abduction, trafficking

Gaps in knowledge or understanding

The victim Understanding victimology and what that tells us about the offender Understanding vulnerabilities of victims ( lack of understanding of risk,

opportunistic, etc) and relationship between vulnerability and opportunity Particular risk to/vulnerability of children from low SES families and children

with disabilities and mental health issues or those with an autistic spectrum disorder

Relationship between “missing” and abduction

The offender Perceptions of threat based on offender characteristics e.g. gender,

relationship to victim Offenders with no previous criminal record (Is this really their first offence?

How do we find them? What was their journey from thought to action?) Characteristics of offenders – who commits these offences and can we

extrapolate any information on the offender from the MO of the abduction? Relationship between online and offline offending Risk assessment of offenders and link to behaviour Predicting future behaviour Hidden identities and factors relevant/influencing their release

Gaps in knowledge or understanding

The investigation and prosecution When an abduction occurs, investigators might not know

whether it is stranger abduction (or whether it is indeed an abduction), can research on the early stages of the offence/investigation identify signs/indicators of what has happened?

Police response (Overt/covert; intelligence; public/private...) Outcome of case (e.g. influences)

Prevention and intervention Prevention and intervention – what works? How effective has the sex offender register been and what has

been its impact on abductions Rehabilitation of offenders Victim support by charities (e.g. good practice; are police aware

of support services available for victims and families?)

Gaps in knowledge or understanding

Police perspective - investigative challenges and community impact (local investigations)

Charlie Hedges, CEOP

Interactive presentation:

“Stranger danger” – false perception of prevalence but you don’t want your child to be that one victim

Media hype ◦ Parents want reassurance◦ Insurance companies want to include abduction and Child

Sexual Exploitation in their policies◦ Need a middle ground between inaccuracy of there being

“an offender behind every tree” and the other extreme of “it’s all hype”

Something in the news somewhere in the UK every day – we lose the picture in crime reporting ◦ crime statistics report the most significant/serious crime

which occurred in that event (e.g. homicide or rape)◦ Could examine child murders and sex offences to see how

many start with abduction◦ Abduction is the MO, a means to an end

How significant a problem is stranger child abduction?

Danger in categorising all abductions together◦ losing sight of differences ◦ missing more discrete and implicit

behaviours/experiences◦ E.g. rapists are not a homogenous group and by

putting them all together, there is a danger that we will miss some of the detail

How significant a problem is stranger child abduction? 2

First challenge - All we know is a child is missing – we don’t know what has happened (runaway, abduction etc)

Investigation can’t be channelled/focussed in one area alone too early on, has to be as broad as possible and all possible scenarios considered (e.g. abduction, runaway, accident)◦ Balance verification and responding quickly◦ What did the reporter see? Did they misinterpret what they

saw? What is a stranger? Children can’t always tell the

difference and the lines may be blurred in online relationships

Police response might depend on whether offender believes he/she has been seen◦ Respond in a way the offender would consider appropriate

What are the investigative challenges posed by abductions?

Language/terminology of first report – can be difficult to work out exactly what happened ◦ Differences between police, public and media

definitions/understanding of “abduction” and “kidnap”◦ Reporter’s heightened state of arousal ◦ Age of the reporter (age of victim in attempts too)◦ Important to have assessment of risk when the call

comes in (as in missing cases), sometimes definitions get in the way

◦ First responder needs to be trained to elicit the information (lack of resources in this respect but it is better now than in the past)

◦ Better to “go high” immediately than “start low and fight way up”

What are the investigative challenges posed by abductions? 2

How many attempts become actual abductions? ◦ How concerned should we be? ◦ We know about motivation for abductions but not in

terms of attempts – is the excitement or thrill of the attempt enough?

Often police are just not aware of them (not reported)◦ Cases not necessarily dealt with effectively ◦ BUT it is difficult to deal with such cases

Need to invest more time ◦ We deal with them a lot but know little about them◦ Victim doesn’t know what the offender’s intention was

We just DON’T KNOW whether they’re going to go on to commit a murder

What is the risk posed by attempted abductions?

Further guidance and good practice advice required for practitioners◦ Difficult – some dislike the idea of “guidance” due to the risk

of constriction of thinking, they want police to use their discretion and judgement

◦ There is currently no separate authorised professional practice on abductions – information is included in other manuals e.g. the Murder Manual

Research concerning attempted abductions to understand prevalence, motivations and relation to successful abductions and other forms of offending

Gathering intelligence from partners concerning attempted abductions (possible role for school liaison and community support officers)◦ Consider age of victim – teenagers might be more likely to tell

friends

What is needed?

How can we improve clarity of data?

What are the key challenges?

Discussion 2:

Context needed in reporting of police stats Need to be clear about what type of data and

what purpose – e.g. improve data for police intel and improve data for research◦ There’s a difference between intel and statistical data◦ Is it a realistic expectation for police to record all

attempts/unreported events? Harmonisation of police recording procedures Prevalence surveys may be subjective (different

perceptions/interpretations – public, police, children)

Agencies/teams supporting the police don’t always receive case updates making evaluation of advice given and operational learning difficult

Data

Who is involved in Child Rescue Alert cases?

What are the main barriers and obstacles to working together?

What is needed?

Discussion 3:

Who is involved? Police NCA Charities Media (social and traditional) Public

Questions/challenges: How often should it be used? Branding vs “CRA fatigue” How to encourage people to sign up? Remit - should CRA inform the public and/or receive

information from the public? What is the most effective way to present information to

maximise the quality and relevance of leads from the public (e.g. most useful descriptors, best use of language)?

How to make sure you identify the “golden nuggets”? How much is known from a risk assessment perspective (risk

to child, reaction of offender)?

Child Rescue Alert

What is needed? Clear guidance to avoid duplication

◦ Training and policy in forces Needs to be used often enough that people feel

comfortable using it but not so often as for it to lose impact – focussed use

Ability to prioritise information as it comes in◦ E.G. filter messages – did you see the child yourself?

Need to be able to manage the response◦ Cannot control the media◦ More calls received following alert in UK than in other European

countries Know what NOT to do, to avoid spurring the offender to

harm the victim Research/greater understanding of false sightings and how

to identify them

Child Rescue Alert 2

How can research translate into practice and assist in this area?

How can research translate into practice and improve prevention strategies?

Discussion 4:

Graduation from non-contact to contact offending The inter-relationships between physical child abduction and

other types of offending Is the abductor a different type of person to the “usual” sex

offender?◦ Assumptions about “type” of offender can derail investigation.

Important that practitioners understand that they are not a homogeneous group

Role of grooming – pre and post abduction Offender decision-making Types of MO Reoffending patterns Warning signs/behaviours Police decision making in focusing investigation Risk assessment Any influence/impact/increase in opportunities created by

internet

Areas where research could add value

Prevention and intervention strategies for offenders and victims◦ The role/awareness of family members◦ Computer technology developing at an alarming

pace – training and awareness needed◦ What factors encourage or discourage

reporting?◦ Environmental and educational approaches

Treatment of juvenile sex offenders◦ What is sexually harmful behaviour for children

and young people?◦ Early interventions and risk assessment◦ How to encourage parents to seek assistance for

their children?

Areas where research could add value

Research is essential for practitioners but… There can be misinterpretation and cherry-picking

of research findings by practitioners ◦ Academics need to ensure practitioners understand

caveats/limits of findings – emphasise this Research needs to be written in such a way that it

is easily accessible to practitioners There is a need to balance how much you say and

what you don’t reveal (so you don’t educate offenders)

There needs to be more collaboration between researchers/academics and practitioners◦ Good practice – contracting/tendering for researchers to

explore practitioner-identified research questions

Challenges for research

Prevention – beyond stranger danger?

Geoff Newiss, PACT

www.childabduction.org.uk

Interactive presentation:

Attempted abduction cases are mentioned via social media all the time even though completed abductions are rare◦ It is not a “historic” problem as we are sometimes told

How do we help children and young people to understand the risk from online and real world strangers? ◦ definitional issues e.g. what a child considers a “stranger” or a

“friend” Need to consider children with learning needs and disabilities

Behavioural skills training is most effective (Miltenberg & Olsen, 1996) – practice and rehearse skills◦ Make children aware of different lures (e.g. sample, authority,

incentive, etc) in broad sense (e.g. don’t have to do everything that an adult tells you)

◦ The earlier the better. PSHE curricula is not compulsory. Some schools might do it, others will not

Building self-esteem and confidence in children and young people is important

Prevention

Contact details Dr. Karen Shalev-Greene, Centre for the Study

of Missing Persons, University of PortsmouthEmail: karen.shalev-greene@port.ac.ukwww.port.ac.uk/departments/academic/icjs/csmp/

Dr. Llian Alys, Chartered Psychologist and researcher

(previously - University of Bedfordshire)Email: Llianalys@yahoo.co.uk