South Yorkshire leaders respond to plans for national grooming gangs inquiry
The government has set out plans for a national investigation into grooming - after months of resisting the move
Authorities in South Yorkshire have been setting out their response to a national inquiry into grooming gangs announced by the government today.
A review by Baroness Casey, who previously investigated the issue in Rotherham, found officials have dodged the issue of ethnicity among the groups of sex offenders for fear of being called racist.
Speaking as a review of grooming gangs by Baroness Casey was published on Monday, Yvette Cooper told MPs: "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."
She said Baroness Casey found 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."
Currently ethnicity is only recorded for around 37% of suspects.
The report found that: "The appalling lack of data on ethnicity in crime recording alone is a major failing over the last decade or more. Questions about ethnicity have been asked but dodged for years."
After long resisting calls for a national inquiry into the handling of grooming gangs by authorities, the government finally confirmed one would be held at the weekend.
The National Crime Agency would also re-examine approximately 800 cold cases, while laws could be changed to better protect victims.
Rotherham MP Sarah Champion told the Today Programme that the 20 recommendations from the previous inquiry "sat in a drawer for a while" but were now starting to be used.
She said: "The thought of having another filled me with horror, and I was reluctant, but when I realised the overwhelming public concern, there's a real sense justice has not been handed out fairly and there has been a cover-up and intense frustration that there are still victims and survivors who haven't received justice.
"I have an intense frustration that not the frontline staff but further up the management chain there were people who were actively blocking reports, people who I think if not held to a criminal standard should be held to a professional standard for their negligence in protecting those children.
"I saw people that would have faced the most criticism have left, took early retirement, changed to a different job and some are having very successful careers, and that's an intense frustration when because of their negligence they have continued to let children be exposed and exploited."
Assistant Chief Constable Hayley Barnett, of South Yorkshire Police, said:
“We are thankful to Baroness Casey and her team for taking the time to visit Rotherham to see the improvements already made and those which are still to come, as we remain committed to ensuring our prevention of and response to child sexual exploitation ever evolves to reflect nationally recognised best practice.
“We acknowledge the Prime Minister’s announcement of a national inquiry, and the Home Office’s announcement of a national investigation.
“We commit to continue doing whatever it takes to enable victims and survivors to trust and have confidence in the South Yorkshire Police of today, and to ensuring history cannot repeat itself. This is the approach we have taken throughout the previous independent reviews and the ongoing investigations into incidents in Rotherham in the early 2000’s and the force’s response.
“As soon as we receive the report, we will make a start on reviewing the contents to assure ourselves that our development and service to victims/ survivors is as is, rightly, expected and offenders are brought to justice.”