St Albans Police carried out a community safety test, involving hotels across the city, which has received mixed messages from residents.
In a post on social media, St Albans Police revealed that they had tested five hotels; Travelodge, Premier Inn, The Samuel Ryder Hotel, St Michaels Manor and The White Hart on whether they could recognise the signs of child exploitation.
The police enlisted 17-year-old cadets, who pretended to be uncomfortable, and sent them into the five hotels, with a plain-clothed police officer, who acted pushy and tried to pay in cash, to make sure the hotel staff were able to help safeguard the ‘victims.’ All five passed the test.
The post has seen a mass of interaction on Facebook, with some arguing that the test was there to “lure someone into committing a crime”, and asking whether the test was “entrapment”. Others showed favour towards the test.
The police team responded, saying: “Our priority is to safeguard children at risk of being exploited. The operation is designed educate hotels about what to do if they come across a situation they feel is not right.
“There is no phishing or entrapment as not recognising the signs is not a criminal offence.”
Photo credit: St Albans Police
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