JERSEY has been “on a journey learning about exploitation” after a major criminal case which saw almost 50 children and young people being targeted by a criminal network to help traffic drugs into the Island.
Head of the Jersey Youth Service Mark Capern said the investigation had been a “challenging” time for his team, who had to understand how to support young people at risk of being exploited.
In April, four members of the drugs syndicate were jailed after it emerged in the Royal Court that they had coerced more than 40 schoolchildren to deliver nearly £2 million worth of drugs around the Island stuffed in toy bears and karaoke machines as part of a complex network of couriers.
Some children were forced to pretend to their parents that they were ill and had to stay off school for the day before being sent items stuffed with drugs and instructions on where to take them.
Mr Capern said: “The Island has been on a journey learning about exploitation.
“It’s about youth workers going the extra mile to provide these young people with the right level of support, a listening ear.”
He added: “As I say to any young people, no matter what you are worried about, there’s nothing we can’t discuss and find a way or a solution.
“Whatever the issue is, let’s talk and we’ll find a way to support you and help you out and find a way to deal with it.
“There’s nothing we can’t deal with.”
He added that child exploitation was not “a big issue” in Jersey compared to other jurisdictions but that the service was available to help with any concerns young people may have.
The Youth Enquiry Service, based at Eagle House on Colomberie, offers support, advice and counselling to anyone between 12 and 25.
Operation Stride and the subsequent Operation Java, involved police and customs officers, the Youth Service, the Probation Service and more, uncovered a drugs ring that imported around £1.8 million – often using children, some as young as 12, to help with trafficking.
Following the conclusion of the case, 43 young people were recommended for safeguarding, and another seven were prosecuted in the Youth Court.
Asked whether the young people involved were out of danger, Mr Capern said he “would hope” that most of them were – but that he couldn’t be sure without knowing each individual.
Mr Capern explained that during more difficult times, the service will make sure more youth workers are on the street as well as picking up on the mood through youth clubs – 35% of ten-to-16-year-olds engaged with the service in the past year.
Principal youth officer Bradley Cooper added that young people who go out late at night often don’t think of themselves as “missing”.
“They just see themselves as staying out late,” he said.
He said that the service was “constantly” reviewing how it helps young people who go missing, with support ranging from how they conduct interviews to understanding what is happening in their lives and working with other agencies.
“It is important to build a relationship with young people so you can communicate with them why you’re worried about them and how you can put some safety in place,” he said.
“That’s how community works. Everyone’s got a place in that – but if young people don’t feel they do, they go unseen. That’s what we try and avoid.”
