A DERBY charity has trained more than 100 police officers to raise awareness of the impact of child sexual exploitation on families.

Safe and Sound Derby was invited to work with officers in the city. The charity, which helps young people who are being, or who are at risk of being, sexually exploited, spoke to officers about how such crime affects families.

Support workers Cheryl Stevens and Lucy Johnson delivered the training.

Cheryl said: "Our aim has been to highlight the experiences of the parents whose children are at risk of, or who are, being sexually exploited, with particular focus on how police and parents can work together more effectively.

"We took in with us real examples of situations that parents have experienced when reporting their child missing and what it's like to be involved in the missing person process."

They told police about how parents of victims were often anxious and unable to digest the complexities of the issue.

Inspector Richard Keene, who helped to organise the sessions, said: "We have seen the impact child exploitation can have at close quarters following the Operation Retriever case. It is important that our officers not only realise what to look out for but also how best to interact with parents and carers and realise the huge impact it has on them."