West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin says grooming victims need action, not more inquiries

BBC News

2 days ago

West Yorkshire's elected mayor Tracy Brabin has again rejected calls for a new public inquiry into child sexual exploitation (CSE) in the region, saying police resources must be focused on delivering justice and support for victims.Her comments follow a BBC Newsnight investigation broadcast earlier this week, which featured women who were groomed and abused in towns and cities including Bradford and Rotherham.Opposition politicians again urged the mayor to back a fresh inquiry, arguing that survivors continued to be failed. But Ms Brabin said multiple inquiries had already taken place and that action must now focus on protecting women and girls from ongoing harm.
"I will not use resources that are so limited on repeated inquiries," she said at a meeting of Bradford Council on Tuesday, after being quizzed by leader of the opposition Conservative group Rebecca Poulsen.She said there had been multiple local inquiries already - and plenty of chances for politicians to have their say, but added: "The answer, surely, is to ensure that historic victims of CSE get justice, but also that we put resources into those perpetrators who are harming children and women today now as we sit here."We should make sure that there is no room for anyone to hide."Ms Brabin, who has previously spoken publicly about being a survivor of sexual violence herself, also highlighted the work of West Yorkshire Police's dedicated CSE unit, set up in 2016 to investigate historic abuse.She said more than 200 offenders had been jailed for a combined total of more than 2,000 years. The unit's funding, previously cut, was recently reinstated by the current government, she said.
'Abuse absolutely everywhere'
Ms Brabin said the law now required professionals to report suspected sexual exploitation, following years of what she called a "blind eye" being turned by "far too many people".She said she and her deputy mayor for policing and crime Alison Lowe - who is also a survivor - would "leave no stone unturned" in pursuing justice for victims.The mayor also warned that the profile of offenders and victims, and the "whole landscape" of sexual violence and misogyny was changing, and that responses must reflect this."Part of our challenge, and the West Yorkshire Police's challenge at the moment, is that boys of 14 are raping young girls," she said. "It is not just necessarily groups of older men who are exploiting young women. We cannot be caught out by looking in the rear-view mirror."This is not one problem for one community or one city. It is absolutely everywhere."
Ms Brabin was speaking in the wake of repeated calls for a fresh inquiry, including by Keighley and Ilkley Conservative MP Robbie Moore.Mr Moore recently met with Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips, presenting her with new research."There is an overwhelming case for a full inquiry across the Bradford District, yet we have shockingly never had one," he said."To make matters worse, senior leaders in Bradford Council and across the West Yorkshire mayoralty continue to reject these calls."This shows that the government's current strategy is fundamentally flawed. "It allows local inquiries to be voluntary and therefore hands the power to refuse these inquiries to the very authorities that victims say failed to protect them in the first place."
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