Following sustained political pressure, Yvette Cooper has announced an urgent national review of the size of grooming gangs as part of a range of new measures to tackle the problem.
The inquiry, which is expected to last three months and will be led by Louise Casey, who led the report into sexual abuse in Rotherham, is not a full national inquiry called for by the Conservative Party, but marks a notable change in government This shows that.
Announcing the plans in the House of Commons, the Home Secretary will examine data not available in Mr Casey's first national inquiry into gangs, led by Professor Alexis Jay, and examine the ethnicity and demographics of both abusers and victims; He also said he would investigate the “cultural background.” and the social factors that lead to this type of crime, including between different ethnic groups. ”
At the same time, Mr Cooper said Tom Crowther KC, who led the acclaimed field study in Telford, would help devise a model for a series of similar studies. She said this would start with five trial areas, including Oldham.
The government's decision to reject Oldham City Council's request for a second national inquiry was made aware of by billionaire and Donald Trump ally Elon Musk, who has since issued a series of misunderstandings on the issue. He made a post on X inviting the issue, bringing the issue into question again. national consciousness.
Other new initiatives launched by Mr Cooper include expanding the powers of the Child Sexual Abuse Review Board so that victims can seek a review of their cases even if they occurred after 2013. This includes making things happen. Chief Constables in England and Wales have been called on to investigate past incidents of grooming. Improve the recording of data on the ethnicity of offenders.
Mr Cooper and Downing Street have resisted calls for a national inquiry, saying they believe, shared by the majority of victims and experts, that priority should instead be given to implementing the recommendations of the Jay Inquiry, which will be reported in 2022. He said.
Cooper announced that ministers would set out a timetable for implementing Jay's recommendations by Easter, and the Home Office announced that it had accepted four cases related to the work.
Speaking in the House of Commons, she defended the focus on local research, saying it could “dig into much more local detail and provide more locally relevant answers” than its national equivalent.
Sarah Champion, Labor MP for Rotherham, who has long campaigned on sexual exploitation, asked Mr Cooper whether local inquiries have powers to summon witnesses and if not, how they can investigate possible cover-ups of abuse. asked.
Mr. Cooper said that while the investigation is not based on any legal basis that would provide such legal authority, the proposed “Hillsborough Act” would impose a duty of integrity on public authorities and would prohibit misleading investigations and searches. He said criminal penalties could be imposed if there was any obstruction. Ensure proper testing.
“For too long, this horrific abuse has been allowed to continue, the victims ignored, the perpetrators left unpunished, and too many people turned a blind eye,” Cooper said. he told lawmakers.
“And even as these shocking crimes came to light, national inquiries were commissioned to uncover the truth, the resulting reports and recommendations sat on the shelves gathering dust. Too often it was left unattended. So under this government, that has changed.”
Shadow home secretary Chris Phillip said the starting point for the five pilots was “wholly inadequate” given the number of towns affected and was hamstrung by a lack of legal basis. denounced the proposal.
“If that's the case, how can we do a cover-up and get to the truth?” he said.
In response, Mr Cooper said one of the key findings of Mr Jay's investigation was the lack of information and data on crime.
“That is why the Government has now asked Baroness Louise Casey to launch an immediate inquiry to uncover the extent of this horrific crime across the country.” she stated.
“We know that the reason she's doing this research is to actually fill in gaps in the evidence, rather than re-asking the same questions without the evidence and data that we so desperately need.” In a way.”
