New laws introduced to tackle grooming gangs after new report
The ethnicity and nationality of suspects in child sexual abuse and exploitation cases will be recorded on a mandatory basis for the first time
Last updated 16th Jun 2025
Baroness Louise Casey’s review into child sex abuse by grooming gangs found suspects were often “disproportionately likely” to be Asian men, the Home Secretary has said.
Yvette Cooper unveiled the findings from the rapid national audit to MPs, after the Prime Minister committed to launching a national inquiry into the abuse.
Ms Cooper said the overrepresentation was found when Baroness Casey examined local level data into three police force areas, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire, and in serious case reviews.
The Home Secretary said: “While much more robust national data is needed, we cannot and must not shy away from these findings, because, as Baroness Casey says, ignoring the issues, not examining and exposing them to the light, allows the criminality and depravity of a minority of men to be used to marginalise whole communities.”
On the issue, she added that Baroness Casey refers to examples of organisations “avoiding the topic altogether for fear of appearing racist or raising community tensions”.
Ms Cooper said: “These findings are deeply disturbing, but most disturbing of all, as Baroness Casey makes clear, is the fact that too many of these findings are not new.”
New laws being introduced
The ethnicity and nationality of suspects in child sexual abuse and exploitation cases will be recorded on a mandatory basis for the first time, Yvette Cooper told MPs.
The Home Secretary said the data collected until now was insufficient, with it only being noted for 37% of suspects. Ms Cooper said: “Baroness Casey’s audit confirms that ethnicity data is not reported for two-thirds of grooming gang perpetrators, and she says it is not good enough to support any statements about the ethnicity of group-based child sexual exploitation offenders at the national level.
“I agree with that conclusion. Frankly it is ridiculous and helps no-one that this basic information is not collected. Especially when there have been warnings and recommendations stretching back 13 years about the woefully inadequate data on perpetrators which prevents patterns of crime being understood and tackled.”
Fear of appearing racist stopped some organisations tackling the topic
Baroness Louise Casey’s analysis of data from three police forces has identified “clear evidence of overrepresentation among suspects of Asian and Pakistani heritage men”, Yvette Cooper has said.
The Home Secretary told the Commons: “The sexual exploitation of children by grooming gangs is one of the most horrific crimes. Children as young as 10 plied with drugs and alcohol, brutally raped by gangs of men and disgracefully let down again and again by the authorities who were meant to protect them and keep them safe.”
Ms Cooper said “the findings of her audit damning” and added: “She has found continued failure to gather proper robust national data despite concerns being raised going back very many years.
“In the local data that the audit examined from three police forces, they identify clear evidence of overrepresentation among suspects of Asian and Pakistani heritage men, and she refers to examples of organisations avoiding the topic altogether for fear of appearing racist or raising community tensions.”