A North End couple has been charged under the Child and Family Services Act for harbouring a chronic runaway.

Winnipeg police arrested a 25-year-old man and a 36-year-old woman on Tuesday after finding the 17-year-old girl at their home for the fourth time.

Const. Jacqueline Chaput, a Winnipeg police spokeswoman, said officers had previously issued both verbal and written warnings to the couple they may be charged if they continued to allow the girl into their home despite the fact she'd been reported missing and was the subject of several public notifications.

"She has been identified as being at high risk of being exploited," Chaput said. "They might think in their minds that they were doing a favour for this youth. They absolutely are not."

The police service's missing persons unit regularly deals with several teenage girls classified as being at high risk of exploitation because of drug or alcohol addictions, involvement in the sex trade, or both.

Chaput said the unit tries to return these girls to the safety of their homes as quickly as possible in order to reduce the chances they will be exploited. But if people are harbouring them and allowing them to stay at their homes, that makes it more difficult to find them and return them home.

Chaput would not identify the girl involved in this case, nor her relationship with the accused. She said the couple are not alleged to have committed any crimes either with or against the girl, but simply allowing her to stay there may have contributed to her being exploited by others.

Chaput said police would like the arrests to serve as a warning to anyone else who might harbour a missing youth, noting police are prepared to lay more charges if need be.

She added people should be mindful the service's protocol is to issue warnings first.

"It's not just that a runaway comes to your house and you're going to get arrested. It's not that simple," she said.

paul.turenne@sunmedia.ca