Met Police set to reopen 9,000 cases in major London grooming gangs probe

[IwantToRetire]

In some incidences, children as young as 11 who reported being raped saw trials against their attackers collapse and were left to become victims of further abuse.

Suspected grooming gang and child exploitation cases from the last 15 years will be reviewed as part of the investigation, Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said in letter to Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan on Friday evening.

A government-ordered audit into the grooming gangs scandal earlier this year found there is “mismatch” in the way the Met and London local authorities record child abuse.

Baroness Louise Casey’s report said the force logged 2.77 contact child sexual abuse cases per 1,000 children, while boroughs recorded just 1.3 child-in-need assessments for child sexual exploitation and 1.79 for child sexual abuse.

There also appears to be a significant overlap between child sexual abuse and county lines drug trafficking gangs.

Full article here https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/met-police-london-reopen-grooming-gangs-probe-b1254846.html

It is so shocking that they’ve let this happen, especially as the Rotherham scandal came out over a decade ago. Not surprising exactly because police and LA across the country have dragged their feet, and, well, the Met. But still shocking. And shameful. Sounds like local social services are as enmeshed in the failure too.

Does anyone know if it was it the Government investigation that prompted the closer look, or someone internal with a moral core who finally got enough clout in the Met to move things?

Those poor girls. Nobody looking out for them, nobody caring for them. Its criminal, there should be consequences for all those who let them down.

Thank god it’s being reviewed so many children let down

Successive Governments and major institutions in this country prove time and time again that they don't give a damn about the safety and well being of women and girls in this country. I for one am heartily sick of it.

9,000 cases?
Did it not occur to them that there might be a pattern of some sort here?

Bloody hell. Lost for words.

9000?
9000?

word fail

This.

And Sadiq claimed he didn't know of any...

The goverment have ordered a review of all historic child sex abuse cases which were not prosecuted. I’m not sure if it’s confined to grooming gangs or not.

Its explained in the article. One being discrepencies in records by different authorities.

Also, although the headlines always go on about grooming gangs (again as the article says) one threat to young girls is gang culture which often include initiation "rituals".

And as is clear in the article the complete failure of the care system to protect young children, which often means very young girls left to fend for themselves in unsafe housing.

In total the number of young women harmed in this cycle of neglect far exceeds the number of young women victims of "gangs".

It a real shame the gutter press has made it all about "Muslim" men in "gangs" rather than recognising that groups of men who for whatever reason meet or work together.

No different to Epstien.

And that the inquire consultancy group in including young women abused by groups are somehow being made to feel they aren't as important, as though the religion or ethnic identity of the men involved somehow makes the sexual abuse worse.

If you read the article in full which have some of the heartbreaking stories of really young girls, it just seems inexplicable to think they should not have their abuse recognised.

An OP with a link to an article is only the introduction to read the actual article. ie the OP is never a reflection of the actual article content.

Olivia*, from Lambeth, who was missing from care when she was discovered in a hotel room with six adult men in March 2022.

The 17-year-old was under the influence of class A drugs and alcohol. Two men had raped her, she said, while others filmed the attack.

A review published by Lambeth Council this year revealed that there had been concerns she was at risk of child exploitation since she was aged 13.

Chloe* came to police and social services attention aged 11 and was assessed as being vulnerable to child sexual exploitation.

She had reported being raped and tests showed she had three sexually transmitted diseases.

A trial in relation to her assault before her 12th birthday ended in a not guilty verdict. The reasons for the outcome were “unclear”, the review said.

She was 17 years old when she took her own life in a state of mental crisis, the report, published in October 2023 said. Her death came after five years in care placements across the country.

15-year-old Mara* was found with two adult men three days after going missing from care.

She had alleged a rape in 2021 while in foster care, but a referral was not completed until nine months later and there were delays in her receiving a Child Sexual Abuse medical and being interviewed.

After being found with the men, she spent nearly 24 hours in a police station and two nights in a hotel before a new care placement was arranged.

https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2024-02-26/violent-drug-gangs-recruiting-exploiting-and-trapping-more-girls-than-ever

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/17488958211051513

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-exploitation-of-children-and-vulnerable-adults-county-lines/criminal-exploitation-of-children-and-vulnerable-adults-county-lines

You’re just showing how little you understand this issue, as usual. The mostly Pakistani rape “grooming” gangs are not an invention of the “gutter press”, they are a discrete phenomenon over decades and in multiple towns and cities, . Read the 2015 Casey report into Rotherham Council.

No abused child is less important than another, but everyone knows that inquiry was finally supposed to focus on these gangs and those who abetted them, directly or indirectly.

Relevant current thread https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5430855-5430855-sadiq-khan-cover-up-of-london-rape-gangs?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=app_share

Unless there is massive inquiry in to way police gloss over the obvious grooming of young boys into the drug trade and county lines and the way they write off children in care this won’t get anywhere.

kids in care are so often seen as a lost cause or usual suspects and ignored by police. Which is how Rotherham et al happened. The police tried to use race as a cover for their quite obvious bias and neglect of victims from the care system with complex histories or behavioural issue.

For profit care homes. Grooming gangs who know where they are and target vulnerable
young girls. Apathetic and judgemental police. Nothing has changed and no money will be spent to change it. Just another decade of talk and recommendations that won’t be implemented.

we should all be angry.

I agree.

The whole system is rotten.

It has been going on for a very long time. I’m sure Ceril Smith and Mountbatten targeted children’s homes many decades ago. It’s despicable that it’s been allowed to continue.

Utterly shameful.

Either he knew and lied, or he has deliberately had his head the sand, or he is really busy and has surrounded himself with morons who are incapable of bringing the important issues to him.

None reflect well on him.

He claimed he didn’t understand what Susan Hall meant by “grooming gangs”.

It a real shame the gutter press has made it all about "Muslim" men in "gangs" rather than recognising that groups of men who for whatever reason meet or work together.

@IwantToRetire That is a disgraceful slur on the journalists led by the late Andrew Norfolk and managers of The Times who spent so much time and effort uncovering the truth about The Pakistani gangs in the northern cities.
Your attitude, and referring to it as invented by the gutter press was exactly the excuse that was used at the time to condemn the victims as liars and to minimise the scale of the crimes.