THE BATTLE against child sexual exploitation in Oxfordshire is taking to the big screen.

Thames Valley Police invites parents to the cinema to educate them on the warning signs of children being groomed over the internet.

The force is screening a new documentary at Witney Cineworld on Sunday, October 4, at 9am and Chipping Norton Theatre on Thursday, October 15, at 1pm.

The film will tell parents how to prevent exploitation, how to spot the signs and how to deal with the issue.

It will also give them advice on staying safe online, and there will be an opportunity to put questions to professionals afterwards.

Acting Detective Inspector Jonathan Capps said: “Child sexual exploitation (CSE) remains a top priority for Thames Valley Police and its partner agencies.

“CSE has a far-reaching effect. Not only can it have a devastating impact on the individual involved but also on their families so I am pleased to support these film presentations which will help raise awareness of the issue among parents, carers and childcare professionals.”

The 40-minute film, followed by a 20-minute panel discussion, is being screened with West Oxfordshire Community Safety Partnership.

The sessions last about one hour with free entrance. No pre-booking is required. They are aimed at parents but children are welcome.

Police spokesman Amy Singleton said: “The idea is for parents to see the signs, to know who their children have been talking to, to be able to identity different situations and to know what to do if they suspect anything.”

It comes after a number of cases of child sexual exploitation in Oxfordshire.

In 2013 Operation Bullfinch resulted in seven men from Oxford being jailed for a total of 95 years for grooming and abusing girls in council care from 2004 to 2012.

A serious case review by Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board feared that 370 children may have been targeted for sex by gangs in the county for 16 years.

This June five men were arrested in dawn raids in Oxford in another operation against child sexual abuse (CSE) called Sabaton.

They and two others appeared at Oxford Crown Court in August relating to abuse charges.

The new police documentary is not the first film to come out of the cases.

East Oxford film maker Mary Scott is making a fictional film about grooming, prostitution and sexual trafficking seen through the eyes of a woman who has served a prison sentence for trafficking, having been a teenage victim of abuse herself.