Essex: Police Chief Warning Of Rise In Abuse

7 March 2014, 07:09 | Updated: 7 March 2014, 07:12

The Chief Constable of Essex Police has told Heart there is a "worrying trend" of young teenage girls being abused by older teenage boys.

Stephen Kavanagh is calling for more education on the issue. He said there has been a significant rise in serious sexual crimes in the county over the last 12 months: "Whether that's by men who've groomed them or older teenage boys who, following sleep overs or access to alcohol, are sexually abusing them. 

"That can't be right, we need to help parents to help children stay safe. 

"We need to make sure they know the risks. If alcohol's available to 13 and 14 year-olds at sleepovers it shouldn't be. 

"It's a worry that these teenage girls are being abused and there's more we can do to protect them." 

The warning comes during Domestic Abuse Awareness Week. Leslie Burrows is from the Adolescent Support Clinic in Southend and she says young girls can be particularly vulnerable: "They may not have had that much experience in relationships to start with so they haven't got anything to compare it to. 

"If it's their first relationship then they haven't really got a template for what a healthy relationship should look like." 

Her colleague Lucinda Lidstone says there is help out there though: "Whatever they say in the room with us stays in the room with us. It's completely confidential. 

"They could come here and feel absolutely confident in discussing whatever they want to discuss without that information being passed on to anyone else."