Invictus has recently teamed up with the Palm Beach Police Chiefs Association and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children through the Public-Private Partnership Workgroup. Invictus is now providing the Missing & Exploited Children Security Training “What Security Professionals Need to Know” program.
The top priority of Invictus Security training is to prepare future security officers to protect those who are unable to defend themselves. In an effort to further the breadth of our security training, we have collaborated with the Palm Beach Chief’s public-private partnership and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to teach security officers how to promptly recognize and report signs of child abuse or missing child situations.
Child sex trafficking is a paramount issue in the state of Florida. Many children are currently missing and are actively being exploited. Child sex trafficking is one of the most frequently discovered types of commercial sexual exploitation, and the victims include both young girls and boys. Knowledge and awareness is critical for defending children who cannot protect themselves. The Trafficking Victims Protection Act defines sex trafficking as “the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purposes of a commercial sex act.” Exploited children are the victims of severe forms of trafficking in persons “in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age.” Children are victimized when they are targeted by predators who seek out vulnerable children to lure into the commercialized ring by using physical and psychological manipulation. Any child could fall victim to someone in a position of power who promises to meet their needs, or uses violence and force on them.
In 2015, NCMEC assisted law enforcement with more than 13,700 cases of reported missing children. By working with NCMEC, Invictus hopes to add to the volume of security officers who are capable of aiding the effort to defend these children. Our security training certification for NCMEC: What Security Professionals Need to Know, is held every week. When students attend our security school, this class is provided to prepare our students with the skills to identify exploited children. It provides critical information for security professionals so that they gain the ability to identify, observe, and alert authorities about incidents of child abduction or the sexual exploitation of children.
Students who successfully complete Missing & Exploited Children Security Training will receive certificates of completion as well as an official pin to wear on their uniforms confirming their professionalism and training background in this program. The NCMEC training will be able to dramatically increase the amount of vigilant eyes and ears, and as a result of this, children will be protected more effectively across the nation.
Invictus takes pride in working together with NCMEC and the Palm Beach Police Association Public-Private partnership in the effort to find and protect missing, abused, and exploited children here in the State of Florida. This is why we have trained more than 300 security professionals since launching this training program at our school in the recent months. We are seeking to established a force multiplier in the fight against child abuse and exploitation by putting our students through security training that will provide them with the right knowledge and skills to be able to combat child abuse and exploitation.
Website-> National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
Website-> Palm Beach Police Chiefs Association