2,000 illegal vapes taken off our streets

THE illegal supply of vapes is ‘often a gateway to child exploitation’, police have said after taking almost 2,000 off the streets in an operation.

Senior detectives said the smoking devices are being used to groom vulnerable youngsters - and ‘used to form relationships.’ Children can be lured into selling vapes to earn money, but police said it can often lead to them being coerced into selling drugs or sexually exploited.

Greater Manchester Police and the council launched two days of action in Rochdale last week to ‘clamp down on premises suspected to be selling illegal commodities to underage children.’

The Sunrise Complex Safeguarding Team is made up of GMP officers, youth workers, social workers, health professionals, housing officers and experts working in public protection services. In total, almost 2,000 illegal vapes being seized by trading standards officers, GMP said.

The force revealed a number of test purchases were carried out by an underage volunteer, who was able to buy two vapes illegally.

A GMP spokesperson said: “The purpose of these visits is to make sure local shops are not selling vapes to underage children, and any that were identified for doing so will face further investigation and enforcement action.

“Later in the evening, police visited a number of areas where young people are known to congregate and receive free food, alcohol, vapes and drugs.

“We are regularly engaging with them and letting them know how the Sunrise team are able to support them.

“This was a great chance to build on intelligence and offer young people the opportunity to speak to police and social workers in an informal setting.”

Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Round from GMP Sunrise Team said: “The illegal supply of vapes continues to be a priority for the borough as they are often a gateway to child exploitation. Not only do they pose serious health risks but vapes are often used to groom young people.

“They will be used to form relationships, or young people will be asked to sell vapes, which can then lead to them being coerced into selling drugs or performing sexual favours. The lifestyle, or the prospect of earning money can often be very appealing to young people, but once they are in, they find it difficult to get out.”

Councillor Neil Emmott, leader of Rochdale Borough

Council, said: “Our trading standards team with partners continue to work around the clock to keep our residents safe in the borough of Rochdale. Test purchases, visits and seizures are a regular part of the trading standards teams’ disruption activities.

“Illegal vapes contain far more nicotine than permitted. As with any highly addictive substance, there is a danger that children can be exploited by their addiction.”

Police said officers also visited hotels and taxi ranks in the town to ‘speak to staff and empower them to tackle sexual exploitation through increased awareness and training.’

Det Chief Insp Round said: “These visits were really positive, and it was encouraging to see how many employees were aware of the signs of exploitation and knew the avenues to report these issues to the police.

“In the New Year, we will continue to build on this education and equip businesses with the materials and training they need to help them identify suspicious behaviour or activity.

“There is regular proactive work ongoing across the borough as we continue to pursue offenders and bring them to justice. These operations run every month and see high visibility patrols on our streets, increased visits to premises and areas of concern to disrupt illegal activities whilst also engaging with young people regarding exploitation.”