POLICE have been criticised for “taking shortcuts” and failing to offer services to children at risk of sexual offences.

A report published yesterday said Sussex Police have “more work to do” because some children at risk do “not get the protection they need”.

HM Inspector of Constabulary Zoë Billingham said: “We saw that in the face of heavy workloads, officers were taking shortcuts to close some cases as quickly as possible.”

Ms Billingham said some cases involving “indecent images of children and adults” were not properly investigated and that police showed little effort in trying to identify either the perpetrators or other children who might have been affected by these offences.

She said: “In cases where a child in care went missing, we found that officers were sometimes failing to carry out a full risk assessment.

“There were a couple of particularly worrying situations where children at real risk of harm weren’t graded as high risk.

“As a result of our inspection, we’ve asked the force to draw up an action plan to address our concerns.

“This is a problem that the force needs to get a handle on straight away”.

Sussex Police have said they will prioritise keeping vulnerable children safe from harm, according to a report published yesterday by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS).

Ms Billingham said she feels “reassured” that Sussex Police are going to make child protection a top priority and found the force was “making a real effort to make every member of staff aware of the risks vulnerable children face, and what they can do to help”.

Following the inspection, the inspectorate made eight recommendations and will revisit the force within the next six months to assess how it is implementing them.

The police have been asked to draw up an “action plan” to address the issues which will then be revised next year.

She added: “I’m encouraged by the positive response we’ve already had from the senior team, and I’m confident that Sussex Police will do exactly what it needs to do to make children safer”.

Assistant chief constable Nick May, head of local policing accepted the report and said the police have already been acting on the recommendations.

He said: “This report is a valuable source of advice and direction to further improve our response and performance in this vital area of policing.

“As the report recognises, we are clear in our commitment to protecting vulnerable children and have made it a priority.

“It acknowledges that officers and staff who manage child abuse investigations are committed and dedicated, often working in difficult and demanding circumstances, and that our engagement with partners works effectively. The report also acknowledges that plans by Katy Bourne, the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner, have included extra investment relating to child protection and anticipate that this will help improvements”.