A damning report has found serious failings in efforts to protect children from sexual abuse by grooming gangs in Rochdale. The review concluded that Greater Manchester Police and Rochdale Council failed to properly investigate reports of abuse between 2004 and 2013, despite warnings from whistleblowers.
The report found a 'significant probability' that 74 out of 111 children on police records from the period were being sexually exploited. In 48 of those cases, there were serious failures by agencies to protect the children. Author Malcolm Newsam said many abusers had been left unpunished due to these failings.
Investigations were not adequately resourced to match the 'scale of the widespread organised exploitation' carried out by a 'significant number' of predominantly Asian men. The team identified 96 men still judged to be a potential risk to children, noting this was 'only a proportion of the individuals engaged in child sexual exploitation'.
In 2012, nine men were jailed as part of Operation Span for running a child sexual abuse ring. However, the report said the operation was 'limited' and addressed only a 'small number of perpetrators'. Only a 'very small proportion' of known victims were included in later trials.
In 2007, an NHS crisis intervention team warned police and the council of an alleged organised crime group involved in child sexual exploitation. Both agencies chose not to investigate, which the review called a 'serious failure to protect the children'. A subsequent police investigation in 2008-2009 into at least 30 adults was hampered by inadequate resources.
The report also found that the NHS team had referred 'potentially 260 victims' to children's social care services that had 'not been acted on over the years'. Despite the council-run safeguarding board criticising the team in 2013, Mr Newsam said the serious allegations made by the team and other whistleblowers had been substantiated.
