Only one out of eight hotels questioned an older guest checking in with an underage child, an undercover police operation has found.
Officers from the Torquay Neighbourhood Police Team, with support from Police Cadets, said they recently carried out an evening of action around child exploitation.
It was done as part of the national initiative Operation Makesafe, which is designed to “empower businesses and organisations to tackle child exploitation” and to “increase awareness and training of early warning signs”.
A plain-clothed officer and cadet attended eight Torquay hotels and asked to book a room for one night, asking specifically for a double bed, to pay in cash and not provide ID.