A new report has condemned Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and Rochdale Council for 'lamentable' failures in tackling historic child sexual exploitation (CSE) between 2004 and 2012. The review found 'compelling evidence' of widespread organised abuse, identifying at least 96 individuals who potentially posed a risk to children, though this is considered only a proportion of those involved.
The report highlights that successive police operations were 'consistently under-resourced', failing to provide adequate support for victims to disclose abuse. Despite convictions, 68 children believed to have been abused are still awaiting justice. The authors noted a lack of disruption tactics, such as child abduction warning notices or risk of sexual harm orders, and minimal liaison with licensing departments to tackle exploitation in taxi and restaurant industries.
Statutory agencies were found to have a clear understanding of CSE prevalence but failed to learn from earlier failures, including the death of a teenager and a failed operation in south Manchester. A dedicated CSE unit, staffed by just one constable and a social worker, was not established until January 2011, despite years of evidence of organised abuse. The report describes this as a 'lamentable strategic failure'.
Nine men were jailed in 2012, but three further children identified as victims were not included in the prosecution, with no meaningful action taken to protect them or bring abusers to justice. NHS sexual health staff had repeatedly raised concerns with police and social services from as early as 2008, but these were ignored, allowing abuse to continue unchecked.
