Letter from Parliament - Simon Danczuk MP

Simon Danczuk MP welcomed Retail Ready People to Rochdale

One of the most depressing things for a politician to have to deal with is a serious failure in the justice system. Justice is what makes a country civilized and strong, but in the three years I have been Rochdale’s MP I have seen justice fail some of the most vulnerable people in our town.

I refer of course to victims of sexual abuse caught up in the grooming scandal that sadly still hangs over Rochdale.

This was brought home to me once again in shocking terms this week as a Greater Manchester Police officer turned whistleblower to explain why girls were being let down and denied justice.

In a moving BBC documentary for Radio 4, former Detective Margaret Oliver said she was ashamed to be part of a process that let girls down, as evidence they had supplied was never pursued and rapists allowed to walk free.

Her testimony comes on top of concerns that were raised with me by people working closely with victims of abuse nearly a month ago. I was told how child abusers were still walking the streets of Rochdale because the evidence of teenage victims is not being used.

When I spoke out about this, Greater Manchester Police aggressively rubbished my claims. Now one of their own officers is saying exactly the same.

Their response has been disappointing. Firstly, the Police Commissioner said it was the failure of private sector care homes that was hampering their efforts to tackle grooming. This is, of course, a red herring and an effort to divert attention away from obvious police failings.

Next, the chief constable, Peter Fahy issued a statement criticising the police whistleblower.

I’m not normally one for criticising the police and I have the utmost respect for the bravery and dedication of our officers, but in this case, senior officers have handled a serious issue very badly and it rubs salt into the wounds of victims who’ve not been listened to.

Instead of trying to scapegoat the private sector or rubbishing whistleblowers, both the police and CPS need to adopt a different approach to victims of abuse. Our system needs to change if we’re going to clamp down on this terrible crime and give victims the confidence they need to come forward.

Whistleblowers perform a vital function to prevent serious failings in public services. The Health Secretary recently warned the NHS against "institutional self-defence that prevents honest acknowledgement of failure". It’s time the police took on board a similar message.