His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary, Wendy Williams, said: “We found that the police, law enforcement bodies and the government still didn’t have a full understanding of the nature or scale of these crimes. This needs to change, and these agencies must work together effectively to protect children from harm and bring offenders to justice.”
Her report found there was a “lack of a clear definition” of the crimes being perpetrated by grooming gangs and vulnerable children were not being protected quickly enough, leaving them at risk of abuse.
The inspectorate also found “unacceptable” levels of victim-blaming language among police officers.
One example mentioned in the report was an officer’s note which said: “Concerns raised (due) to her general proclivity with older men.”
The HMICFRS pointed out white men were as likely, if not more likely, to be involved in grooming as Asian men.
Progress is ‘Too Slow’
The report did praise developments such as the Child Sexual Exploitation Taskforce, which was launched earlier this year, and said the police have “taken steps to improve its response” to grooming gangs in recent years but it said progress was “too slow.”Ms. Williams said: “Group-based child sexual exploitation has a devastating effect on children and their families. It cannot be overstated how complex and challenging these crimes can be to prevent and investigate, and the police can’t tackle them alone.”
“Over the years, the police and law enforcement bodies have improved how they support victims and understand their needs. However, the pace of change needs to increase, and this starts with understanding the problem,” she added.
The HMICFRS said law enforcement was often guilty of, “unreliable data collection and a failure to prioritise intelligence gathering” which meant the police still did not have a clear picture of the size of the problem nationally.
The quality of criminal investigations was described as “inconsistent” and non-specialist officers were, “lacking the experience and training” required.
Home Office Says Taskforce Will Help
A Home Office spokesman told PA: “The police have made good progress, but we know we must do more to protect vulnerable children. That’s why we have set up a dedicated taskforce of specialist officers, which is already helping forces target those who prey on these young people, and face justice for their crimes.”“These officers are already being deployed to forces across the countries to support them in tackling the horrific crimes of grooming gangs, arresting perpetrators, and protecting victims,” he added.
The Home Office spokesman added, “Our new Criminal Justice Bill will look to make sure grooming gangs and their leaders face the toughest possible sentences.”
The Criminal Justice Bill will make membership of a grooming gang an aggravating feature for sentencing, meaning tougher punishments for those involved.
Earlier this week a victim of the Rotherham grooming gangs scandal, known only as Liz, was awarded £425,000 in a landmark ruling.
A High Court judge ordered taxi driver Asghar Bostan—who was jailed for nine years in 2018—to pay her the money after he failed to engage with civil court proceedings while in jail.
Bostan, 52, was released last year after serving half of his sentence.
