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 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.

"The people abusing them turn the children against their family and friends and isolate them.

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

Yesterday evening's 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, civic and religious leaders and council officers, was preceded by a tour of the mosque and a meal.

Paul Hill, who manages the 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.

"We have a responsibility not only in terms of safeguarding our children but also in terms of protecting our communities.

"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 that 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."