British kids danger fears

BRITISH kids could be in danger after holiday firms admitted they do not make the resorts and hotels they send their customers to abroad ensure their staff have undergone a criminal record check.

Nine days after Madeleine McCann went missing from a resort in Portugal a Sun investigation has found that while UK employees undergo a check with the Criminal Records Bureau here it is up to hotels abroad if they run a check on staff hired locally.

Child protection advocates say this paves the way for paedophiles to get jobs working near Britain's children.

Thomson, Thomas Cook, First Choice, Mark Warner and My Travel all ensure their child minding staff are cleared to work with kids but say it is up to individual resorts to run police checks on their employees.

Madeleine, who turns four today, was snatched from her apartment at the Ocean Club holiday complex in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz last Thursday night.

Maddie's parents, Gerry and Kate, booked their holiday with Mark Warner who boast of their safe, child-friendly holidays.

On their website they say: "When you are travelling with children, family holidays need planning. At Mark Warner we organise clubs, activities and supervision for children of all ages. As a result, they have a great time and you don’t have to worry about a thing."

But Shy Keenan, from the child sex abuse support group the Phoenix Survivors, said parents do have something to worry about.

She said: "Staff that have access to children, whether directly or indirectly, must be checked. Just because it is a different country shouldn't change how we protect our children.

"It is crucial that those selling these holiday packages make it a condition to the hotels that they run proper checks on their staff. They can't pass the buck by saying it is up to the resort."

Holiday firms send millions of Brits to resorts and hotels across the world each year and insist their staff are thoroughly checked but cannot speak for the hotel or resorts employees.

A spokeswoman for Thomas Cook said: "We run enhanced police checks on our staff but it is not a condition of our business to make individual hotels do this."

First Choice said: "All overseas employees with responsibility for children, including managers, receive full training and written policy documents that have been approved by specialist independent organisations."

A spokesman for Mark Warner said: "Local staff who are recruited do not have a Criminal Records Bureau or local equivalent check however all prospective local staff are interviewed and backgrounds checked."

Thomson said: "Anyone we employ directly has to undergo Criminal Record checks. It is the hoteliers responsibility for their staff."

A MyTravel spokesperson said: "Our children's clubs and crèches operate to strict guidelines. There are always at least two members of staff present, with parents being required to sign their children in and out of these services on a sessional basis."

Last night Michele Elliot from Kidscape said parents should think twice about booking trips with holidays firms following The Sun's revelations.

She said: "We have no idea when we go to resorts outside the UK if they are being run by paedos.

"Parents are booking with these holiday firms in good faith and the reputation of the company is at stake if they put parents in hotels where checks haven't been made. It is their responsibility.

"If they cannot do that then they must add a warning to their brochure saying 'We cannot guarantee the hotel has properly checked their employees'. But to do nothing is totally unacceptable."