A CHARITY in York has called for greater power to help protect children against people in positions of trust.

The NSPCC recently released figures which showed there had been 86 recorded sex crimes by people in a position of trust in Yorkshire since 2011/12, coinciding with a 57 per cent increase nationally, and highlighted that it was not illegal for sports coaches or other youth leaders to have sexual contact with 16 and 17-year-olds in their care.

The charity has launched the Trust To Lead campaign, calling for position of trust laws to be extended, as it said the true extent of abuse is worse, and children in sport and other youth activities may have been groomed for years before they turn 16.

Almudena Lara, NSPCC head of policy, said: "It is baffling that sports coaches and other youth workers are not deemed to be in a position of trust, given the significant responsibility, influence and authority that adults in these roles have over the children they are there to look after.

"Sadly, we know that this trust can be abused and it is therefore vital that this legal definition is widened to include sports coaches and other youth workers, bolstering protection for teenagers at risk of grooming once they pass the age of consent."

Dani Wardman, who runs Survive in York, said "serious questions need to be asked of any mature adult who wants to engage in a sexual relationship with a teenager", and agreed with the NSPCC call.

She said: "The age of consent seems a little moot when we have adults in their forties, fifties and beyond beginning to have sexual contact with 16 to 18-year-olds. It does feel like, as with many areas of sexual violence that the legislation isn't fit for purpose. It is clear from the outside that these adults hold a position of power over the young person be that a teacher, sports coach, pastoral role, boss of their new or part time job. There is often a period of grooming before the relationship begins.

"The really worrying part is that organisation and institutions working primarily with young people often have no clear plan for handling relationships between staff and young people above the age of consent. They know it happens but feel powerless to do anything, to prove anything and don't know what to do even if they can prove it. Survive feel very strongly that clear policies and protocol should be implemented nationally about how to respond to instances of mature adults beginning to have sexual contact with the young people they are responsible for, to empower organisation and institutions to act on such abuses of power quickly, as a matter of safeguarding."

Last year (2016/17), North Yorkshire Police recorded four abuses of trust, and while none were recorded in 2015/16, two or three were recorded in each of the previous four years.