There will be a national enquiry into the grooming gangs

[inkognitha]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/jun/14/keir-starmer-national-inquiry-grooming-gangs

Posting here for traffic

YABU: this was unnecessary
YANBU: this was the right thing to do

It would be preferable to have a government in power who didn’t need to change their minds quite so often.

They're not

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/elon-musk-npcc-keir-starmer-nigel-farage-pakistani-b2677586.html

The vast majority of grooming gang offences are carried out by white men, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) has said.
New figures from the police database show that, where ethnicity data was available, 85% of “group-based” child abusers were white in the first three quarters of 2024.

But if course the media tends to focus on the Pakistani gangs, because divisive news reporting gets more readers.

We did have an inquiry into this, under the Tories, and they put exactly none of the suggestions into place while they were in power: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmhaff/68/68i.pdf

Maybe this second enquiry will encourage the current government to make changes. However, it feels like people are using this as a political stick to beat Keir Starmer, rather than truly caring about the victims and how to prevent this kind of horrific abuse in future.

Really ? That's your 10pence worth is it ? For the love of god, can we STOP flinging the word RACIST about as a weapon to silence !!!!!!!

The only people targeted because of their race (and class) was those vulnerable young girls. "Easy" "white girls" who probably hadn't got terribly stable home lives. THAT is the racist part.

You do realise you're feeding the problem. Some of those men were absolutely banking on the fact people like you exist to hide behind the 'racist' accusations, that are now used as verbal terrorism to shut up white folks.its why links weren't made early, nobody dared voice that link. It's utterly ridiculous.

@cumbriaisbest

Kemi Badenoch has an absolute cheek with her comment about the response being needed now and not in 10 years time given her government implemented precisely none of the 20 recommendations in the previous inquiry.

How many of you heard as much about this gang as you have about the latest Pakistani one?

https://www.gmp.police.uk/news/greater-manchester/news/news/2025/april/victim-of-blackrod-grooming-gang-shares-devastating-impact-on-her-life-as-final-men-sentenced/

The remaining six members of a group of 10 men who groomed, raped and sexually abused underage girls in Blackrod, Bolton, between 2016 and 2018 have been sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court today, Tuesday 29 April 2025.
Daniel Flatters, Jack Poulson, Cory Barrett, James Fitzgerald, Richard Haslam, and Elliott Turner are the final six men that have been handed substantial sentences for a range of sexual offences.
They have each been placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register.

A grooming gang of white British sexual abusers. One of the majority of grooming gangs that are white, but who we don't hear about. I can't imagine why.

No of course it's not. People like this poster are part of the problem. It has become a very nice weapon to brandish to shut white people up. There's many nowadays "white privilege" "white people can't experience racism" treating critical race theory as fact. And people are buying it. People are to scared to speak because of the instant conversation stoppers. That's where we need balance back. To have conversations without throwing childish victim statements out.

I work with a lot of black and ethnic minority individuals, some of which are actually my friends outside of work and truthfully the loud voices using these threats from their minority group have caused nothing but trouble for them. One woman (black ) said she now fears everyone assumes she has those opinions and the liberal left now treat black people as one big monolith and the loud voices are being taken notice of by the liberals and in the meantime black and minority people that don't actually hold those thoughts are punished by proxy. So once again, going backwards aren't we...

Do you study research or statistics at all? You do realise patterns can emerge and links made and it doesn't automatically mean every single person will fit the characteristic don't you ? It doesn't cancel out the link made though does it ? They call that "whatabouttery" I believe....

The difference @saraclara is that these vile creatures were prosecuted. The victims were believed. The communities weren’t shielding the perpetrators. The police weren’t afraid to prosecute them to the full extent of the law. The victims weren’t selected for their race. And nobody was dissuaded from talking about it for the sake of community cohesion.

The fact that there are white grooming gangs does not take away the seriousness of the cover ups and failure to tackle Pakistani rape gangs. Pretending that concerns and calls for further enquiries are based on racism just doesn’t cut it anymore. We know too much now.

You've worded your points really well and succinctly. I agree wholeheartedly with all of it. I hope people start listening to rational voices like yours.

As I've already pointed out, the statistics show that the majority of grooming gangs are white. But they're overlooked by the media and by the general public, because we all prefer to think that these things are committed by people 'not like us'. And that contributes to division in our communities.

The problem of grooming gangs absolutely needs a report. But the report needs cover ALL cases of grooming. And the media needs to behave impartially.

The case I quoted had only just gone to court. The offences happened in 2018. It's not just the victims of Pakistani gangs that aren't believed for a long time @Everanewbie .

“Pointless. Pandering to the racists.”

Are you for real?

If the report only focuses on Pakistani gangs (the minority) then it absolutely will be about pandering to racists.

I want have faith that it will cover ALL grooming gangs though.

Untrue.

It has absolutely zero to do with "not wanting to think people like us" do these things. You've bought into silly theories again. It's psychobabble. The law doesn't give a shit about our inner ponderings. It deals in facts.

As another poster put it, more eloquently than me, those arseholes were indeed punished and dealt with. Their victims believed. If you honestly think the silence and "shit what do we do: these guys are all brown, how are we going to deal with this ?" Didn't play a part , you're naive. Then when it transpired they were a bunch of poor, uneducated, white girls.... Hmmm... Which battle should they pick ?

@cumbriaisbestCould you elaborate on this point of view please.

Why is there a lag of a decade for everything in this country.

The only people targeted because of their race (and class) was those vulnerable young girls. "Easy" "white girls" who probably hadn't got terribly stable home lives. THAT is the racist part.
Absolutely it is not just about white victims here. There are many victims from many ethnicities. In fact there was a large group of victims who were hindus and sikhs which were ignored because they were not white.

The victims were believed. The communities weren’t shielding the perpetrators.
Most victims of white grooming gangs are not believed nor are the people prosecuted as guess what? Their communities shield them as if they cry that they are falsely accused, the world believed a rapist who cries that because they are the main false accusers and are bloody good at it. When a 14 year old who had ligature marks around her neck and bruises to her genitalia was arrested for falsely reporting rape is that believing victims or is that supporting white rapists given her rapist confessed to 'having sex with her'?

The problem of grooming gangs absolutely needs a report. But the report needs cover ALL cases of grooming. And the media needs to behave impartially.
Absolutely! All the groomers and who covers for them including the white men and their communities who have backed them. So many on here trying to silence you and proving you correct. They do not like you speaking out about the white groomers thus proving your point that they indeed are supported and people will deflect from their crimes.

Where does the newspaper article say that the report will focus ONLY on Pakistani grooming gangs?
However The particular problem with the Pakistani grooming gangs was the reluctance of the authorities to address the situation for fear of being accused of racist. It’s ironic that you’re perpetuating that accusation.

It’s views like yours that turned a blind eye to what was happening to the victims. “Dont look there …. Look over here “

The only thing I care about is justice and truth for the victims.

So ignore the issue that's been highlighted and pretend there's no link whatsoever with the background and culture of these particular men and their motives and attitudes towards women ? Pretend culture and how females are viewed played no part whatsoever. Include everyone and tiptoe around the elephant in the room ? Ok, that's kind of where the problem started wasn't it ?

The patriarchy and misogyny is clear in all cultures with regards to attitudes towards women. The elephant in the room is that we like to say 'not in our culture' but it bloody well is.

I mean it is the UK culture to call these girls prostitutes - the UK culture has defined this crime as being one of a reciprocal agreement and has placed it at a low level of intervention for SS. Historically in the UK this was called child prostitution. The definition put the blame on the child. The definition STILL puts the blame on the child. That is our culture.

Very necessary, and hopefully this one will identify those in authority who turned a blind eye, or even assisted in the rapes. I feel sick that the policemen, social workers, councillors etc who handed little girls back to their rapists haven't even been investigated, let alone brought to justice.

Rubbish. Utter rubbish.

Tell me you don't mix with other cultures without telling me you don't.

You just can't argue with the 'save the world ' types. You can't cancel out truths of other cultures just because you're frightened it might be perceived as "racist"

Wasn't there already one of these ? But yes should be done obviously

This

This is a nightmare for Labour and for Starmer.

Once again, they have made a disastrous misjudgement on an issue of massive public concern. And once again they have been forced into a humiliating u-turn.

Tens of thousands of defenceless white girls in mainly Labour run areas have been brutally exploited, raped and abused for decades by gangs of Pakistani Muslim men. Police, social services etc whose job it was to protect those children deliberately turned a blind eye because they were terrified of allegations of racism. And Labour engaged in years of denial & cover-up to protect its Muslim voter base. They were on the side of the abusers, not the victims for entirely cynical political reasons.