As Operation Galaxy continues with officers and staff across the force coming together to ensure that the Humberside Police area is a hostile place for criminals, we are also focused on protecting vulnerable people.

You may have heard us use the phrase ‘protecting vulnerable people’ a lot, but have you ever wondered exactly what we mean by it?

There are many people that we come across in our work that are vulnerable and need our help, in one way or another. That is why we have a specialised Protecting Vulnerable People (PVP) unit to investigate crimes and support some of our more vulnerable victims.

Our PVP unit have specially trained officers involved in supporting victims and investigating reports of child abuse, rape and other serious sexual offences, child sexual exploitation and domestic abuse.

Superintendent Mat Hutchinson, PVP unit manager, said: “The crimes we deal with in the PVP are life changing for our victims. That is why our first priority is always to safeguard victims, working with partners to prevent future abuse and ensure their safety. 

“Our role in Operation Galaxy is to do exactly that. Help prevent our victims and other vulnerable members of our society having to suffer abuse or being made to feel unsafe.

“One example of how we are doing this is through our work with colleagues in Community Policing, Trading Standards, Immigration and Environment Health to conduct disruption visits to addresses and business premises linked to reports of grooming and child sexual exploitation.

“We are also promoting online activities and resources, made for children and teenagers and their parents and carers, all about staying safe. These resources cover a vast range of topics, such as criminal exploitation and online grooming, and are all about highlighting the signs to look out for and how to access help and support.”

The unit also has our missing team, a dedicated group of officers whose focus is all around working with partners to identify any underlying issues that have led to the person going missing, enabling us to give them the necessary support to prevent further reports.

A team of specially trained officers in the PVP unit are also responsible for the management of sexual or violent offenders once they have been released from prison. Officers from the team work with partners to ensure that license conditions or sexual harm prevention order conditions are adhered to, to prevent reoffending. 

Supt Hutchinson continued: “We have a large number of officers and staff across all ranks within our teams, who all share a commitment to protecting vulnerable people and taking action against those that try to exploit or abuse them.

“If you have any information about any crimes of this nature, please do get in touch and report it to us. We will listen to you and we will carry out a full and thorough investigation.

“You can report information by calling our non-emergency 101 number or anonymously via the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. In an emergency always call 999.”