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UK Launches Inquiry to Probe Grooming Gang Failures

A statutory inquiry will examine institutional cover-ups by police and councils under new rules for recording ethnicity in child abuse cases.

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OLDHAM, ENGLAND - JANUARY 20: Nick Tenconi, Interim Leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) and Chief Operating Officer of Turning Point UK (centre) poses with banners during a protest calling for justice for victims of sexual abuse and grooming gangs, outside the council offices at City Centre on January 20, 2025 in Oldham, England. Some victims of so-called grooming gangs are demanding a new investigation into historical child sex abuse cases here. The government recently rejected such a request, sparking criticism from political opponents and even US businessman Elon Musk, although Oldham council opted to set up its own investigation. (Photo by Anthony Devlin/Getty Images)
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Overview

  • The inquiry will have legal authority to compel evidence as it investigates alleged cover-ups by local councils and police forces.
  • The government agreed to all 12 of Baroness Casey’s recommendations, including redefining under-16 penetrative sex as rape and mandating ethnicity reporting for all suspects.
  • Casey’s review found that two-thirds of grooming gang cases lack ethnicity data and that men of Pakistani heritage were over-represented among prosecuted offenders.
  • At least 50 towns and cities, including Bradford, Rotherham, Oldham and Birmingham, are known to have been affected by grooming gang abuse.
  • Zara Mohammed of the Muslim Council of Britain warned that the focus on ethnicity risks scapegoating British Pakistani communities.