Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland (CJI) has published a report on the criminal justice system's recognition, assessment, and response to child criminal exploitation. The inspection, released on 25 February 2026, concludes that the response is inconsistent and, in many respects, inadequate.

Chief Inspector Jacqui Durkin stated that child criminal exploitation involves adults using children for criminal activity, often linked to paramilitaries, organised crime, care systems, or other exploitations. She highlighted that exploited children frequently receive criminal records, impacting their health, education, and employment.

Inspectors identified challenges within the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), including a lack of a clear delivery model, insufficient frontline training, and inadequate resources in high-risk areas. Case file reviews showed children were often treated as suspects rather than victims, with delayed safeguarding referrals and poor handling of missing children reports.

Many missing episodes were logged as safety concerns rather than missing person reports, and some records contained victim-blaming language. The absence of specific markers for child criminal exploitation in PSNI and Public Prosecution Service systems hinders data collection and understanding of the issue's scale.

The report notes a recently developed definition by the Departments of Justice, Health, and Education, but calls for its embedding into practice. Pockets of good practice, such as multi-agency hubs, were identified, but overall outcomes for at-risk children remain poor.

Recommendations include immediate PSNI improvements in missing children responses, development of a resourced delivery model, and a Department of Justice strategic framework within six months to monitor outcomes. Inspectors urge better use of the National Referral Mechanism and a child-centred approach.