1. Police & Crime Commissioner comments:
- 1 I welcome the findings of this report and the following sections set out how the Force are addressing the recommendations. I will monitor progress through my Office’s existing oversight mechanisms.
- 2 I have requested the Chief Constable’s view on the report, and he has stated:
“ HMICFRS found that the quality of police investigations is improving, with early action frequently being taken in many cases to protect children and arrest suspects.
However, while this report sets out the improvements that have been made, there are some critical gaps that remain.”
In addition to the four outstanding recommendations from the Inspectorate’s 2023 report, six new recommendations have been issued for which there are 3 recommendations for Chief Constables.
2. Response to Recommendations
2.1 Recommendation 2
2.2 By 31 March 2026, all police forces should fully adopt and use the Hydrant Programme’s child sexual exploitation problem profile template as a minimum when preparing their 2025/26 child sexual exploitation problem profiles.
2.3 Surrey Police has now fully adopted the Hydrant Programme’s child sexual abuse exploitation problem profile template, and it has been used for the 2025/2026 Group Based Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation problem profile.
2.4 The offences were identified using the Hydrant Criminal Procedures and Investigations Act (CPAI) database guidance where there were two or more offenders. It also included the Surrey Op Hydrant CPAI return data to identify additional offences that would not have been included in the first identification method (i.e. those where occurrences only had one offender linked but were still group-based offences).
2.5 Non-contact offences were then removed from these as per the Complex and Organised Child Sexual Abuse & Database (COCAD) methodology and additional offences added from further searches and network analysis.
2.6 Recommendation 4
2.7 By 31 July 2026, all chief constables should use the Hydrant Programme’s guidance so forces can efficiently and accurately identify child sexual exploitation and group- based child sexual exploitation in their police record management systems.
2.8 Surrey Police now uses the Hydrant Programme guidance and Hydrant Continues Professional Development (CPD) training was completed in force and the guidance circulated. This will be re circulated and there are plans to do an internal communications piece, which will also signpost officers/staff to the guidance. The Child Abuse Policy is currently under review with hyperlinks to the guidance to be included (expected to be completed by the end of January 2026).
2.9 In addition, Surrey Police now has automation in place for flagging Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) and Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE) when concerns are raised within Signs (safeguarding referrals). The next stage of this work includes the introduction of automated referrals of all cases of exploitation to the Child Exploitation Teams to review and ensure appropriate recording including that of group-based offending. (First Quarter 2026).
2.10 Recommendation 6
2.11 By 31 July 2026, all police forces should devise a strategy to implement Operation Makesafe consistently and include this in their child sexual exploitation data returns to the Hydrant Programme. This strategy should include the adoption and use of the rebranded Operation Makesafe police and partnership marketing materials.
2.12 Surrey Police have worked with partners to initiate a strategy that includes an annual roll out of Op Makesafe. This is now implemented across Surrey hotels, taxi drivers, pubs and fast-food outlets with the support of Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNTs) on an annual basis.
2.13 It is currently live for 2025. The existing materials were adapted to include the rebrand and these were reviewed and approved by the National Op Makesafe Working Group. The HO Op Makesafe toolkit has previously been circulated. Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB) to be linked in with to ensure it is included in the data returns to the Hydrant Programme.
Lisa Townsend
Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey