A COUNCIL is training taxi drivers to spot child sexual exploitation among its passengers.

The training is now a mandatory condition for holding a private hire and hackney carriage drivers licence in Rochford.

Rochford Council has introduced the training after official reports into children sexual exploitation cases have made specific references to the role of taxi and private hire vehicle drivers.

Reports say taxi drivers may unwittingly transport victims or hold important information which could prevent and detect offending.

More than 300 drivers across Rochford have now received training which will ensure they know how to recognise and report suspicious activity.

The council’s licensing team is the first in Essex to set up a new e-learning module for all taxi license holders on child sexual exploitation and human trafficking, which has been launched to coincide with National Child Exploitation Awareness Day.

The training raises awareness of the issue, advises what to look out for and how to report any concerns.

Rochford councillor Cheryl Roe said: “Taxi drivers have a crucial role to play as the eyes and ears of our community.

“When drivers are party to information which gives them cause for concern, it is vital that they know the appropriate steps to ensure this is passed to the relevant authorities.

“It is crucial that communities work together to tackle child sexual exploitation and to make it clear that we stand together to take a zero tolerance approach.”

The National Child Sexual Exploitation Awareness Raising Day, which was on Monday, aimed to highlight the issues surrounding child sexual exploitation.

It encourages residents to think, spot and speak out against abuse and adopt a zero tolerance to adults developing inappropriate relationships with children.

Sheila Taylor MBE, chief executive of the NWG network chief executive, which supports victims of child exploitation, said: “Each year we use our campaign to raise awareness of child sexual exploitation and encourage everyone in our society to tackle the issues of exploitation of our children.”

This year the charity organisation is urging residents to wear red to help raise awareness of the campaign, and share its social media messages with the hashtag #CSEDay19 To find out more go to www.nwgnetwork.org and to donate to the charity text ‘VOICE’ to 70007.

Taxi drivers in Basildon have also been trained.