Greater Manchester Police has made “significant improvements” to how it investigates child rape grooming gangs, but historic failures sees a backlog of over 700 victims and 1,000 suspects now being investigated anew.

A new report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) into “multi-offender child sexual exploitation” — child rape grooming gangs — states Greater Manchester Police is now investigating historic and current cases and has identified ” 714 victims and survivors, and 1,099 suspects”.

The HMICFRS said they had identified serious failings by the police force in their past conduct over failing to investigate child rapes, but that they were now much better. The report said: “The force’s approach is now significantly different to how it – or any police force – historically responded to child sexual exploitation… and Greater Manchester Police has made significant improvements to how it understands and investigates child sexual exploitation”.

There were still improvements to be made, the Inspectorate said, noting “needs to make sure investigators have the necessary skills for their roles” as “there are ” various training gaps in the investigation team”. Manchester police are aware of these shortcomings, the HMICFRS said, noting they now “need to make sure” this is rectified with better training.

In the past, the report said Greater Manchester Police “didn’t always record a crime when these child sexual exploitation offences were first reported. This meant that it also didn’t investigate these offences”. Of 74 identified historic victims who police had become aware of between 2003 and 2013 some victims’ cases weren’t adequately investigated.”

Indeed, it is considered that of those 74 historic victims identified, only three of them “were appropriately protected by the protective agencies”, and “there were serious failures to protect the children in 48 cases”. Further, the HMICFRS found that “between 2003 and 2013, when the police identified potential victims… police personnel and some safeguarding partners commonly used victim-blaming language. This went unchallenged.”

The report also namechecked Manchester City Council, which it said had hampered investigation in the past.  {snip}

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