A “SOPHISTICATED” ring of pimps is grooming teenage girls for sex.
Now police, Huddersfield’s MP and Kirklees councillors have spoken out to warn parents that the men are actively looking for new victims.
The men befriend the youngsters, tempt them with drugs and then become pimps, offering them around for sex.
Insp Dave Barnett from Huddersfield police said: “We’re sure there’s a network of men and they will continue to contact girls. These men are still at large and still operating in Huddersfield.”
The town’s MP, Barry Sheerman, added: “This is quite a sophisticated ring. The sooner they can be apprehended the better for all of us. It’s disgusting. This is one of the worst kinds of child abuse.”
Insp Dave Barnett of Huddersfield North Neighbourhood Policing Team said the ongoing problem first came to light last year.
He said: "It was brought to my attention last June that three girls aged 15 and 16 were at risk of exploitation.
"It was clear to us that we had to intervene. We used specialist officers to speak to the girls about any potential crime and to identify anyone involved.
"They have been separated from the men who were exploiting them and police and social services are working with them.
"Work is being done to bring the men responsible to justice."
Insp Barnett described how the sexual groomers preyed on teenage girls in Huddersfield.
He said: "They gain the trust of vulnerable teens. It starts off with meeting them and being nice for no reason. They behave like gentlemen at first.
"The girls are made to feel obligated to these men by drugs. They then exploit the girls sexually themselves and pimp them to others."
And Insp Barnett said the grooming ring was still active in the town.
He said: "We’re sure that there’s a network of men and that they will continue to contact girls.
These men are still at large and still operating in Huddersfield."
Insp Barnett added that police and social services were working with local schools to raise awareness of the problem.
And he advised parents to be on the lookout for unusual behaviour.
Insp Barnett said: "If parents are suspicious about the company their children are keeping, if they are changing their group of friends at short notice and being very moody, they should contact police, the school or social services.
"But it’s very difficult to tell this kind of behaviour from normal teenage angst."
The police’s newly-formed Vulnerable Victims Unit in Heckmondwike, which covers Kirklees and deals with domestic violence, vulnerable adults and child sexual exploitation, is also working on the problem.
Greenhead councillor Mehboob Khan learnt of the pimping ring at a Neighbourhood Management Group meeting four weeks ago.
He said: "I am very concerned about this issue. As the father of a 13-year-old daughter I fully understand people’s anxieties and worries about being able to spot the signs in their children."
The Labour councillor stressed that parents concerned that their children may be being targeted by sexual groomers could contact the authorities without fear.
He said: "If parents do have concerns they can discuss these informally with councillors or teachers. There shouldn’t be any fears that social services will take their children away from them."
Clr Khan warned that the problem would probably get worse in a few months.
He said: "We’ve got to put measures in place to tackle any escalation of this over the summer when children are off school and have more spare time. High schools and colleges have to be aware of this.
"We mustn’t be alarmist but neither must we bury our heads in the sand.
And Clr Kahn asked anyone with information on the pimps to contact police.
He said: "We would like people to pass on information about this. Groomers are often involved in other crimes."
Huddersfield MP Barry Sheerman is also working on the issue.
He said: "I’ve taken this up with the police, social services and children’s services.
"There are a ring of men in and around Huddersfield and Kirklees who are preying on young, vulnerable girls. This is quite a sophisticated ring.
"The sooner they can be apprehended the better for all of us. It’s disgusting, this is one of the worst kinds of child abuse."
Mr Sheerman said the victims came from a variety of backgrounds.
He said: "A lot of the girls are from upper-income families. The victims come from a range of homes, there’s no stereotypical case."
The MP added that children who were absent from school could be targeted by sexual groomers.
He said: "I would like to see regular swoops by the Kirklees Council Children and Young People’s Service of places where children are truanting."
