A SENIOR county councillor has backed calls to give councils “disruption orders” allowing them to intervene when a child may be being groomed has split opinion in Oxfordshire.

The Local Government Association (LGA) has demanded Sexual Risk Orders must be included in the upcoming Policing and Criminal Justice Bill.

The orders would be similar to Domestic Violence Protection Orders or Antisocial Behaviour Orders (Asbos), but tailored to combat child sexual exploitation.

Councils could issue them to restrict anyone suspected of grooming children from certain types of activity, such as being unsupervised in the company of a vulnerable child, and breaching such an order would be a criminal offence.

Seven men were convicted in 2013 for a string of offences including grooming, raping and prostituting girls as young as 11 in Oxford as part of Operation Bullfinch, .

The Kingfisher unit was set up as a result to identify children at risk of exploitation and prosecute those involved if necessary.

Oxfordshire county councillor Melinda Tilley, cabinet member for children, education and families, said of the orders: “I think it (Sexual Risk Orders) sounds like a very good idea and would be more ammunition for our Kingfisher Team.”

But Jim Leivers, director of children’s services, indicated he thought extra powers were not needed.

Currently police and the courts are able to issue a Child Abduction Warning Notice, telling an adult they do not have permission to associate, contact or communicate with a particular young person.

Mr Leivers said: “The county council, district councils and the police have worked together to bring about successful disruptions. Over the previous 15 months, 29 child abduction notices have been issued by the police and six sexual harm prevention orders have been issued by the court. The local authority has frequently made use of its legal powers to protect children.”