Greater Manchester Police have made significant improvements in the way it deals with child sexual exploitation
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS), supported by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have published their final report into their inspection of Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and wider safeguarding partners’ approach to investigating allegations of child criminal and sexual exploitation.
In it, they have stated that “GMP has made significant improvements in how it investigates child sexual exploitation” and have concluded that “Greater Manchester’s complex safeguarding peer review programme contributes positively to…reduce the risk of child exploitation.”
Due to a cultural shift in Greater Manchester Police, investigating child sexual exploitation is now considered “everyone’s business”, which includes serious and organised crime (SOC) resources.
The review also found that current operations ‘demonstrated a considerable commitment to learning from past mistakes and, where possible, rectified errors” and that those working within the CSE Major Investigation Team are passionate and committed to their work and the support they offer to victims and survivors.
They found the force and its dedicated workforce are actively looking for, supporting and listening to victims and survivors of child sexual exploitation.
Andy Burnham, commissioned a review into child exploitation in Greater Manchester in 2017, to provide assurance that the region’s police force, councils and health bodies now have the right culture and systems in place to protect children from sexual exploitation.
The report follows the publication of Baroness Casey’s rapid audit into group-based child sexual exploitation last month that also highlighted GMP’s innovative approach to tackling child sexual exploitation cases in Greater Manchester.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said:
“Eight years ago, I took the decision to establish this review on the back of revelations made in 2017 around the BBC’s The Betrayed Girls documentary. I believed then, and stand by it now, that it was essential to give the Greater Manchester public assurance on two crucial points: first, that we would always be prepared to face up directly to past failings and bring any perpetrators to justice; and second, to provide a clear answer to the question as to whether the Greater Manchester public could have confidence today in the current practice related to the handling of these issues.
“Today we can finally give them a definitive answer. The findings today from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Ofsted show people can have confidence that today’s approach is fit for purpose although we will, of course, use these reports to make sure we improve it further still.
“I am confident in my view that the Greater Manchester system is in a demonstrably different and far stronger place today than it was when the failings happened. The effect of the assurance review I commissioned has been to usher in widespread culture change across all GM bodies. Never again will any child here be labelled or dismissed when they come forward to report concerns.
“Like the Casey audit, these reports provide clear evidence that leaders and practitioners have responded to what has gone before and made big changes. This is encouraging to see but we are not in any way complacent. There are areas identified for further improvement and we will be dogged in our determination to drive these forward.
“So today, I say this to the public of Greater Manchester: you can have confidence in the systems we have to protect children from grooming and sexual exploitation and you can be sure that we will never return to where we were.
“Finally, I am in no doubt whatsoever that commissioning this review was the right thing to do. I thank our original independent review team for the painstaking work and hard-hitting reports they produced on Manchester and Rochdale.
“The Oldham report was an addition to the review at the request of the council and, while it was different in that it focused on specific local allegations, the review team applied the same meticulous approach.
“There are those who claim this second stage review was a cover-up. This is completely false and indeed insulting to two of the most highly-respected independent reviewers in the country.
“Because of the inevitable limitations of a local review like this, I was an early supporter of a national inquiry to bring accountability of decision-makers and Baroness Casey herself has said that there would not be a national inquiry were it not for the Greater Manchester review. We can feel vindicated by that.
“Now the national inquiry is being put in place, we must allow victims the space and the right climate to have their voices heard, allow the actual truth to be established and accountability delivered.”
