An investigation into police and municipal authority responses to historic ‘rape gang’ allegations looks set to kickstart action against up to 1,100 possible offenders.
Manchester City Council has conceded that much of its record-keeping—relating mainly to Pakistani-heritage ‘group-based child sexual exploitation’ (CSE)—was inadequate, with such a high proportion of the material redacted that its remnants were barely usable. Such was the low quality of the information that it reportedly delayed the authorities from taking action against the gangs.
The poor quality of data added to a wider pattern of indifference. Reviewing the years between 2003 and 2013, ten out of 74 sexually exploited children are now confirmed as having not received “an appropriate level of service” from Greater Manchester Police (GMP).
Previously, GMP chief Sir Stephen Watson called the findings of Baroness Casey’s initial inquiry into CSE in Manchester “shameful” and sent the victims a “heartfelt apology.” Now his force has deployed 300 officers to work through the backlog of CSE cases, which will revolve around 714 clearly identified victims and survivors included in these now active investigations.
The number of suspects under investigation is not entirely clear, as some only appear in the files identified by nicknames, while other cases potentially duplicate the same individuals. Ahead of a national inquiry into the mostly Muslim gangs—which appear to have been ignored so as to protect multiculturalism and ‘good community relations’ in England and Wales—Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham hoped that this latest, modernised criminal investigation could go some way to restoring trust in the police.
