Grooming gang investigations dropped by police because of ‘potentially human error’

Police investigations into alleged grooming gangs were dropped because of potential human error, the early stages of a national review into cases has suggested.

Under Operation Beaconport, thousands of alleged child abuse cases that did not result in a suspect being charged are set to be reviewed, with some likely to be reopened and proceeded to the courts.

So far, the National Crime Agency-led review has received 1,273 referrals of cases from 23 police forces, including 236 involving allegations of rape.

Speaking to journalists at a briefing on Tuesday, NCA deputy director of investigations, Nigel Leary, said: “Initial reviews have identified that in some cases where there has been a decision to take no further action (NFA), there were available lines of inquiry that could have been pursued. We’ve seen in those cases what appears to be potentially human error.

“We’ve seen in some cases that those investigations haven’t followed what we would characterise as proper investigative practice, actually that would have contributed to the NFA decision.

“That includes, for example, lines of inquiry being identified but not being followed, victim accounts not being taken in a way that we would recognise as best practice, and suspects not being pursued or interviewed in the ways that we would anticipate.”

Asked if there had been evidence of misconduct or criminal activity in why cases did not progress, Mr Leary said it was too early to say, but added: “We are alive to it and in the event we identify it, we will adopt our standard protocol which will be liaison with the professional standards department within the force in relation to any officer who is still serving in question. It will be then for them to determine an appropriate course of action.... that might be a referral to the IOPC [Independent Office of Police Conduct].”

Operation Beaconport is to review cases from between January 1 2010 and March 31 2025. Each one must involve two or more suspects, more than one victim, contact offences and have the suspects still alive.

Every file passed on by a police force will be assessed, and potentially passed back to reopen the investigation under the eyes of dedicated officers at the Home Office-funded project. Complex cases may be investigated by the NCA.

The cost of the scheme, run in partnership with the Child Sexual Exploitation taskforce and the Tackling Organised Exploitation (TOEX) programme, is not yet known.

Mr Leary called the operation the “most comprehensive investigation of its type in UK history”, but made clear that not all files will result in the reopening of cases. Reopened cases destined for criminal justice could take years to reach the courts, he added.

He said: “There's going to be many challenges which mean that investigations into non-recent sexual offenses are going to take time. They are complex by nature. Offence locations may no longer exist, witnesses may no longer be in the area... and there will often be no forensic evidence available.”

Asked if suspects could attempt to flee the country due to the possibility of a case reopening, Jav Oomer, director of Operation Beaconport, said there were “extradition options” that could be used, with the operation working with Europol and Interpol.

He said: “The first and foremost is this mission to ensure that victim survivors of group-based child sexual exploitation receive tailored justice. And that's justice will have different meanings for each victim or survivor. And for some it will mean the reopening of an investigation and a criminal conviction of offenders.

“For others, it might just mean that they're being heard and believed when they haven't been before. And it will mean victims and survivors receiving acknowledgement and potentially where there's opportunity or there is any wrongdoing that's been identified for an apology.”

The operation’s findings will also be used to “identify learning” for police forces and will be shared with the long-awaited public inquiry into grooming gangs, which is now due to start next year after the loss of two candidates to chair the probe.

Three years ago, The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, set up after the Jimmy Savile abuse scandal, described child sexual abuse as an “epidemic” in England and Wales.

Earlier this month, an inspection by the police watchdog His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services found progress had been made by forces in tackling grooming gangs, but said issues over data accuracy and co-ordination nationally risked weakening the policing response.

Speaking at the briefing on Operation Beaconport, Richard Fewkes, from the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said: “There is much more work to be done... what Beaconport will do is significantly accelerate this work, improve further what police forces do in their approach to group-based child sexual exploitation, and it will ensure that there is a sustainable model of response and investigation that is developed and endures beyond Beaconport itself.”