Police handling of child sex exploitation under review

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) will be included in the final stage of a review into historical child sexual exploitation (CSE) in Greater Manchester.

A series of reviews into how authorities managed historic childhood sexual exploitation (CSE) have been published, examining the protection provided to vulnerable children in Manchester, Oldham, and Rochdale.

This review is particularly significant for Rochdale, where part three of the independent assurance exercise commissioned by Mayor Burnham scrutinised Operation Span and the investigation of non-recent CSE.

Published on 15 January 2024, the report focused on the sexual exploitation of children in Rochdale between 2004 and 2012.
 

Read more: Damning report finds 48 girls were "seriously failed" by GMP and Rochdale Council in being protected from sexual exploitation from 2004-2012Published: 15 January 2024

It specifically considered the allegations made by Sara Rowbotham and Maggie Oliver in the 2017 BBC documentary ‘The Betrayed Girls’.

The review uncovered evidence of widespread organised sexual exploitation of children in Rochdale during this period and highlighted significant failures by statutory agencies in their response.

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) will lead the final instalment of the independent review process that will see every Greater Manchester council and GMP assessed on the progress made to date in their responses to CSE and will identify priority areas for further improvement.

The HMICFRS team, who recently published its inspection into the Metropolitan Police Service’s handling of the sexual and criminal exploitation of children, will be supported by other statutory bodies including Ofsted.

Deputy Greater Manchester Mayor Kate Green announced on 12 July that Greater Manchester Police (GMP) would now be scrutinised as part of this process by the same body which placed the force in special measures in 2020.

She stated: “Following the publication of the part three review, the mayor and I have become very aware of public concern of CSE in Greater Manchester.

“In light of that, the mayor and I formed the view that the part four report needed to be more comprehensive. We therefore have approached HMICFRS to conduct a review into procedures of GMP.

"We expect this report from HMICFRS will produce areas of improvement and action. We are now in the process of commissioning a HMICFRS review.”

Mayor Andy Burnham echoed these sentiments, emphasising the importance of completing the process thoroughly: “This is a significant strengthening of our part four arrangement because of the lead role taken by HMICFRS. In some ways we are expanding that with a significant role for Ofsted and the CQC – so there will be three of the country’s most authoritative regulators collaborating.”

A spokesperson for GMP responded to the announcement: “Addressing child sexual exploitation and the wider safeguarding of our children and young people is a priority for GMP.

“We want the perpetrators of these appalling crimes to be brought to justice and to put the interests of survivors and victims at the heart of our investigations.

“We welcome the fact that the assurance process will continue under the auspices of the professional policing and education regulatory bodies and look forward to being able to demonstrate the advancements we have made to supporting survivors and investigating offenders, as well as hearing their expert advice on any further improvements we should make to our current practice.”

This comprehensive review of Greater Manchester’s approach to CSE aims to provide public reassurance and ensure the protection of vulnerable children across the region, with a particular focus on addressing past failures in Rochdale and preventing such atrocities from occurring in the future.
 

Read more: “We failed you” – GMP’s chief constable apologises for the “serious failings” highlighted in Rochdale CSE reportPublished: 16 January 2024

Local democracy reporter: Ethan Davies

Rochdale Online reporter: Kirsty Rigg