Officers investigating child exploitation in the county are asking people working in key areas to help them protect young people. It is believed teachers, taxi drivers, hotel staff and those working at fast food outlets could play a vital role in helping to tackle the issue. Some perpetrators use taxis to transport children to locations, often hotels, to be exploited. The offenders may regularly buy the victims gifts, or take them to fast food outlets as part of attempts to groom them.On Monday (March 18) officers will be marking Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) Awareness Day by speaking to people in some of these job roles and sharing information.Both girls and boys can become victims of exploitation – with people they see as friends or boyfriends taking advantage of them sexually or by coercing them into committing crime such as drug dealing.Signs of exploitation include:- The child being regularly absent from school- Appearing drunk or under the influence of alcohol- Having an older boyfriend or friends- Expensive unexplained gifts, such as mobile phones, jewellery etc- Seeming scared or overly secretive/evasiveOn June 18 officers will be holding free training sessions at Cambridgeshire Constabulary’s headquarters in Huntingdon to raise awareness of child exploitation….