ALL members of the public in Keighley and Bradford can help ensure children do not become victims of child sexual exploitation, according to a senior police officer.

The message was delivered in the community centre next to Keighley's Markazi Jamia Mosque, in Emily Street, by Bradford district superintendent Vince Firth during a seminar staged to tackle child sexual exploitation.

Supt Firth said that currently in Keighley and Bradford there are 54 children judged to be at high risk of sexual exploitation. He reported that in the same area, 61 men suspected of committing this crime are on bail, while 18 live police investigations in the offence are ongoing.

Supt Firth warned: "These children don't come to us and make disclosures very easily because they think they're in a loving relationship and they see the police as the enemy.

"Every single person in this room can do something about it. If you see something that doesn't feel right, like an older man hanging around with younger girls, then it probably isn't right.

"You need to report it to police. I'd rather have 100 cases where it turned out everything is actually fine just to find that one case where a child does need safeguarding."

Last Wednesday night's (Nov 19) seminar was organised by Keighley Muslim Association as part of Interfaith week. It was revealed in September that two-thirds of all investigations into child sex grooming in West Yorkshire were in Bradford district, including Keighley.

The seminar, which was attended by councillors, council officers, civic and religious leaders, was preceded by a tour of the mosque and a meal.

Paul Hill, who manages Bradford Safeguarding Children Board, also addressed the gathering. He said child sexual exploitation was just one form of sex abuse, and can take place both online and on the streets.

"Much of the media attention has been on the sexual exploitation happening on the streets," he said. "In this district it seems to disproportionately involve the Pakistani heritage community.

"If we leave a vacuum and don't acknowledge this issue we leave a space which people with bigoted ideas will occupy."

"In October Bradford Council unanimously passed a motion setting out how the local authority aims to tackle child sexual exploitation.

"This includes dealing with historic abuse. We can't be confident people always got the response they deserved in the past."

Michael Jameson, strategic director for children's services in Bradford, welcomed the Keighley Muslim Association's commitment to respond to some of the "horrific" crimes committed against youngsters in the district.

"Sexual abuse takes place across whole cultures," he said. "It has nothing to do with religion. It's about power, control and exploitation."

Speaking after the event, Keighley Muslim Association community relations and education officer Mohammed Saleem said: "I was delighted to see a mixture of all sectors of the community attending.

"I'd like to thank all those who participated and supported the occasion.

"We've had very positive feedback, everyone really appreciated it. We'll continue to work with the community to root out all evil and wrongdoings in our society.

"Islam is a peaceful religion and our message is Peace for All."