Closure order power moves step closer

Councillor Colin Lambert

A power to allow senior police or council officers to temporarily close a premises where they suspect children are being sexually exploited has moved a step closer following a debate in parliament.

The measure, proposed by Rochdale Council Leader Colin Lambert and Greater Manchester’s Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd, is now set to be included in the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill, which is currently working its way through parliament.

On Tuesday, Baroness Angela Smith of Basildon tabled an amendment to the Bill which would introduce the power.

Ministers had previously rejected calls to include the measure in the Bill, but have had a change of heart after being presented with the evidence. The government minister, Lord Taylor of Holbeach, now says he will seek to have the measure included in the Bill at its final reading in the Lords.

Rochdale Council Leader Colin Lambert added: “We welcome this positive response from the government. The joint working between the council, police and central government clearly demonstrates how Rochdale is leading the way in how to tackle this serious problem.”

During the debate, Baroness Smith welcomed the government’s change in position and stressed the importance of the measure.

She told peers: “It is an urgent issue: children are being abused today and will be abused tomorrow and the day after, and we have a real opportunity here to make a difference.”

The closure order proposal builds on existing legislation, being strengthened in the Bill, which allows senior police officers to step in and close non-licensed premises where there have been complaints of anti-social behaviour.

This could include takeaways, corner shops or other premises where grooming has been known to take place.

The existing powers have been successfully used in Rochdale, and across Greater Manchester, to close premises where young people have thought to be at risk of grooming. In one case, six young people who were regularly went missing from home were regularly found at a premises where it is suspected they were being groomed.

But police and councils are only able to use the power if there have been reports of anti-social behaviour at the premises. In many cases, the abuse takes place behind closed doors, with perpetrators persuading their victims they aren’t being abused at all.

The Bill is currently at report stage in the House of Lords, where Baroness Smith tabled an amendment to introduce the measure. During the debate Lord Taylor said the government would seek to include it in the third reading of the Bill in the Lords, so the amendment was removed.