Eight Rochdale hotels labelled 'premises of concern' by child exploitation officers

Eight hotels in Rochdale have been identified as "premises of concern" by police working to prevent and reduce child sexual exploitation.

An undercover operation by Greater Manchester Police and Rochdale Council saw test purchasers attempt to book hotel rooms to see if staff recognised obvious signs of child sexual exploitation, such as adult males trying to secure rooms in secluded areas for them and underage females for a short period of time, often an hour in the daytime.

So far, concerns have been raised about eight hotels under Operation Cobalt. These hotels have been visited by officers and social workers to deliver further training to employees.

Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Round, who oversees GMP Rochdale's Complex Safeguarding Unit, said: "Whilst there will always be offenders who seek to exploit vulnerable young people - either criminally or sexually, this approach is ensuring we identify those involved at the earliest possible opportunity. We're also committed to helping others spot the signs and utilise our reporting mechanisms.

"As such, we have a team who deliver inputs to children, staff, and parents at local schools and to the businesses in our communities which are most likely to have intelligence about this abhorrent type of crime."