Children 'at risk of serious harm and violence'

STARK WARNING OVER LINKS TO CRIME GROUPS

- By STUART ARNOLD Local democracy reporter

VULNERABLE youngsters linked to organised crime groups in Redcar and Cleveland are at risk of serious harm or even death, a report says.

The report, compiled on behalf of Redcar and Cleveland Council's safeguarding adolescents from exploitation (SAFE) team for scrutiny committee members said it had intervened with 44 youngsters since formally launching in May last year.

Of those, six were aligned with organised crime groups, with the report stating: "As such, these children were at significant or imminent risk of serious harm and violence, as well as risk of homicide, or being coerced and incited into inflicting serious harm to others."

A number of children disclosed how they had sustained injuries, including broken bones, cuts and bruising, with some attending A&E as a result. There was also evidence of weapons being carried, including machetes and a shotgun.

The report said young people who had received interventions aimed at keeping them safe were aged between 11 and 17 years old with the majority (68%) boys. It described substance misuse issues among 27 of the cohort, primarily cannabis and alcohol, with vapes identified as a "gateway" to some drugs.