‘Girls are invisible’: Northamptonshire expands programme to tackle exploitation
Six‑month review finds girls at early risk of criminal exploitation are being missed
A programme aimed to help protect girls at risk of criminal and sexual exploitation has been expanded by Northamptonshire's Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) after a six-month pilot scheme revealed hidden risks.
'The Girls’ Pathway' initiative was first tested between June and December 2025 by Northamptonshire Police and the OPFCC’s Youth Violence Intervention Unit. It focused on girls who may not appear high‑risk but are linked to situations where coercion, grooming or criminal behaviour could be taking place.
The new extended programme launched by PFCC Danielle Stone, whose aim is to ''build a county where women and girls know their safety is a priority.''
What about the girls?
Stone said the project began because girls were being left out of key discussions. She recalled that early conversations focused almost entirely on boys, with reports highlighting boys being excluded from school and involved in knife crime or antisocial behaviour – issues she said were “apparent” to teachers, police and the wider community.
Stone explained, "I had a lot of people talking to me about the way boys were presenting at school – how some were being excluded or being involved in knife crime and all of that is very plain to see."
According to Stone, there was a notable absence of information regarding girls' situations and behaviours. She explained: ''What I was interested in is what was going on with the girls, because generally speaking, girls are invisible.''
''Nobody was telling me anything about girls. So this pilot happened and it has proved to be really, really important.”
Stone said she launched the pilot to fill that gap, and that it has since proved to be vital as it highlighted issues that hadn’t been talked about much in schools or in the community.
"Because girls are brought up to be quiet, to not make a nuisance of themselves, to just be there to be pleasing." Stone added.
What the pilot revealed
The pilot discovered that girls were largely unnoticed by existing services, with no one recognising the concerning aspects of their experiences. Stone said: “These girls were completely invisible to services.'' Stone said.
Between June and December 2025, 49 girls, most identified proactively through custody checks, intelligence systems and police screening, were approached for support.
Many presented with complex risks including violence, antisocial behaviour, weapons, substance misuse and child exploitation.
''Nobody was picking up on the fact that these young girls had very troubling issues.” Stone said.
A large number of girls were facing overlapping risks including violence, antisocial behaviour, substance misuse, weapons and child exploitation.
More than half were connected to peers already known to the intervention unit, and a quarter were looked‑after children. Early intervention showed strong results, with significant reductions in crime linked to the cohort.
As a result of the pilot's findings, Stone emphasised the need for vigilance and the importance of paying closer attention to girls in schools and communities.
''Prevention and early intervention is absolutely crucial.'' She added.
Possible indicators of child exploitation
- Being withdrawn
- Hiding away in their bedrooms
- Not being very communicative
- Having things they couldn’t have bought
- Being out inappropriately at night
- Parents not knowing where they are
- Parents not knowing who their friends are
Stone said many warning signs are easily missed because parents “lead very busy lives”, and schools can overlook them too. She urged parents to contact the police immediately if they are worried.
She added: I'm really disturbed by what we found and now we know that we need to ask all services, all schools, everybody to be vigilant and take more notice of girls.
''And if girls are absent from any spaces, like parks, for example, we need to be asking the reason why.''
To find our more about the PFCC's campaign visit the website Anyone worried that someone is at risk of exploitation should call 101, or 999 in an emergency.