Latest news with #groomingGangs
The Independent
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Police to use AI technology to investigate grooming gangs
Artificial intelligence tools will be rolled out to all police forces to tackle grooming gangs. Officers across all 43 forces in England and Wales will gain access to the investigative technology as part of a £426,000 funding boost for the Tackling Organised Exploitation (TOEX) programme. The intelligence and technical experts support forces investigating complex cases such as organised exploitation of modern slavery, county lines and child sex abuse. Some 13 forces currently have access to their apps, which are said to have been used 12,500 times – saving more than £20 million and 16,000 hours for investigators. The expansion, announced by the Home Office, comes after Baroness Casey recommended a national police operation to review cold cases, in her rapid audit on grooming gangs published in June. Operation Beaconport has since been established, led by the National Crime Agency, and will be reviewing more than 1,200 closed cases of child sexual exploitation. Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips said: 'The sexual exploitation of children by grooming gangs is one of the most horrific crimes and we must punish perpetrators, provide justice for victims and survivors, and protect today's children from harm. 'Baroness Casey flagged the need to upgrade police information systems to improve investigations and safeguard children at risk. Today we are investing in these critical tools.' The technology being rolled out can translate large amounts of text in foreign languages from mobile phones seized by police, and analyse a mass of digital data to find patterns and relationships between suspects. NCA director general Graeme Biggar said providing reassurance to victims and their families has been a main focus of the national policing operation since June. He added: 'We must and will ensure their voices are heard and collectively, we will restore confidence that the law enforcement response to child sexual exploitation is without fear or favour, is evidence based and not undermined by fears of inflaming community tensions.' The Home Secretary has also written to police forces to make sure they are collecting ethnicity data as recommended by Baroness Casey. The crossbench peer's report found the lack of data showing the ethnicity and nationality of sex offenders in grooming gangs is 'a major failing over the last decade or more'. The audit found that officials had dodged the issue of ethnicity among the groups of sex offenders for fear of being called racist, but there were enough convictions of Asian men 'to have warranted closer examination'. The Government has launched a national inquiry into the abuse and further details are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Artificial intelligence rollout for police forces to investigate grooming gangs
Artificial intelligence tools which have saved thousands of hours in investigations will be rolled out to all police forces to tackle grooming gangs. Officers across all 43 forces in England and Wales will gain access to the investigative technology as part of a £426,000 funding boost for the Tackling Organised Exploitation (TOEX) programme. The intelligence and technical experts support forces investigating complex cases such as organised exploitation of modern slavery, county lines and child sex abuse. Some 13 forces currently have access to their apps, which are said to have been used 12,500 times – saving more than £20 million and 16,000 hours for investigators. The expansion, announced by the Home Office, comes after Baroness Casey recommended a national police operation to review cold cases, in her rapid audit on grooming gangs published in June. Operation Beaconport has since been established, led by the National Crime Agency, and will be reviewing more than 1,200 closed cases of child sexual exploitation. Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips said: 'The sexual exploitation of children by grooming gangs is one of the most horrific crimes and we must punish perpetrators, provide justice for victims and survivors, and protect today's children from harm. 'Baroness Casey flagged the need to upgrade police information systems to improve investigations and safeguard children at risk. Today we are investing in these critical tools.' The technology being rolled out can translate large amounts of text in foreign languages from mobile phones seized by police, and analyse a mass of digital data to find patterns and relationships between suspects. NCA director general Graeme Biggar said providing reassurance to victims and their families has been a main focus of the national policing operation since June. He added: 'We must and will ensure their voices are heard and collectively, we will restore confidence that the law enforcement response to child sexual exploitation is without fear or favour, is evidence based and not undermined by fears of inflaming community tensions.' The Home Secretary has also written to police forces to make sure they are collecting ethnicity data as recommended by Baroness Casey. The crossbench peer's report found the lack of data showing the ethnicity and nationality of sex offenders in grooming gangs is 'a major failing over the last decade or more'. The audit found that officials had dodged the issue of ethnicity among the groups of sex offenders for fear of being called racist, but there were enough convictions of Asian men 'to have warranted closer examination'. The Government has launched a national inquiry into the abuse and further details are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Police to investigate grooming gangs using AI technology
Artificial intelligence tools will be rolled out to all police forces to tackle grooming gangs. Officers across all 43 forces in England and Wales will gain access to the investigative technology as part of a £426,000 funding boost for the Tackling Organised Exploitation (TOEX) programme. The intelligence and technical experts support forces investigating complex cases such as organised exploitation of modern slavery, county lines and child sex abuse. Some 13 forces currently have access to their apps, which are said to have been used 12,500 times – saving more than £20 million and 16,000 hours for investigators. The expansion, announced by the Home Office, comes after Baroness Casey recommended a national police operation to review cold cases, in her rapid audit on grooming gangs published in June. Operation Beaconport has since been established, led by the National Crime Agency, and will be reviewing more than 1,200 closed cases of child sexual exploitation. Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips said: 'The sexual exploitation of children by grooming gangs is one of the most horrific crimes and we must punish perpetrators, provide justice for victims and survivors, and protect today's children from harm. 'Baroness Casey flagged the need to upgrade police information systems to improve investigations and safeguard children at risk. Today we are investing in these critical tools.' The technology being rolled out can translate large amounts of text in foreign languages from mobile phones seized by police, and analyse a mass of digital data to find patterns and relationships between suspects. NCA director general Graeme Biggar said providing reassurance to victims and their families has been a main focus of the national policing operation since June. He added: 'We must and will ensure their voices are heard and collectively, we will restore confidence that the law enforcement response to child sexual exploitation is without fear or favour, is evidence based and not undermined by fears of inflaming community tensions.' The Home Secretary has also written to police forces to make sure they are collecting ethnicity data as recommended by Baroness Casey. The crossbench peer's report found the lack of data showing the ethnicity and nationality of sex offenders in grooming gangs is 'a major failing over the last decade or more'. The audit found that officials had dodged the issue of ethnicity among the groups of sex offenders for fear of being called racist, but there were enough convictions of Asian men 'to have warranted closer examination'. The Government has launched a national inquiry into the abuse and further details are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
The Guardian
04-07-2025
- The Guardian
Greater Manchester police investigating over 1,000 grooming gang suspects
Greater Manchester police are investigating more than 1,000 grooming gang suspects, as a new report found the force was 'trying to provide a better service to those who have experienced sexual exploitation'. The force has made 'significant improvements' in how it investigates grooming gangs and other types of child sexual abuse offences, according to the report by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services. The report looks at the way grooming gangs and other child sexual offences are handled by the police, health bodies and the 10 councils across Greater Manchester. It said police had live investigations into 'multi-victim, multi-offender' child sexual exploitation cases involving 714 victims and survivors and 1,099 suspects. 'We found that since 2019, when Greater Manchester police started to review its non-recent child sexual exploitation investigations, the force has improved its understanding and approach to investigating allegations of child criminal and sexual exploitation,' the inspector of constabulary for the northern region, Michelle Skeer, said. 'It is clear that the force has, for many years, been trying to provide a better service to those who have or may have experienced sexual exploitation. 'But for some, trust and confidence in the police had been lost, and the force would not be able to rectify their experiences. 'It is vital that improvements are led by victims' experiences, and if they do come forward, they are supported, protected and taken seriously.' At a press conference, GMP's chief constable, Sir Stephen Watson, said those who had failed victims in the past 'should face justice like anyone else'. He continued: 'To those who are responsible for these repugnant crimes – as is now very apparent – we will pursue you relentlessly.' The chief constable said the role ethnicity played in grooming gang offending was a 'legitimate question' and may be explored in a future national inquiry. A recent report by Louise Casey found that Asian men were significantly over-represented as suspects in grooming gangs in Greater Manchester, saying authorities were in 'denial', and that more needed to be done to understand why this was the case. GMP is the only force in the country to set up a dedicated team to investigate grooming gangs, which it did in 2021, now called the child sexual exploitation major investigation team (CSE MIT), with about 100 staff and a ringfenced budget. The force approaches child sexual exploitation as it does serious and organised crime gangs, using specialist tactics. The report identified improvements that could be made in order to better address the issue and progress investigations. These included data sharing, with local councils sometimes not willing to provide detectives with information, leading to 'significant delays in investigations'. The report said intelligence provided by Manchester city council took months to arrive and 'was so heavily redacted that some pages contained only a few words'. So far the CSE MIT and the earlier grooming gang investigations have resulted in 42 convictions, with offenders imprisoned for a total of more than 430 years. Other investigations are ongoing, with several more trials scheduled. In a statement, Greater Manchester's mayor, Andy Burnham, said: '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.' He added: '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. '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.'
The Independent
03-07-2025
- The Independent
Police chief vows ‘relentless' pursuit of grooming gangs
A police chief has promised to go after child rapists and paedophiles 'relentlessly' after decades of failures over grooming gangs. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson also said those who failed victims in the past 'should face justice like anyone else'. Mr Watson was speaking after a press conference in response to a report by police watchdogs which was largely positive about GMP's turnaround in tackling the gangs. The report also said the force is now investigating more than 1,000 grooming gang suspects. Mr Watson said: 'To those who are responsible for these repugnant crimes – as is now very apparent – we will pursue you relentlessly.' The chief constable also said the role ethnicity plays in grooming gang offending is a 'legitimate question' and may be explored in a future national inquiry. Asked if prosecutions should follow if the inquiry shows officials failed to act, Mr Watson said: 'It is my hope that where people do bear an accountability, that they should legitimately answer for their decisions and if the determination is that they are somehow culpable then of course they should face justice like anyone else.' GMP has made 'significant improvements' in how it investigates group-based sexual exploitation of children, or grooming gangs, and other types of child sexual abuse offences, according to the report by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services. The 76-page report looks at the current and ongoing way grooming gangs and other child sex offences are handled by the police, health bodies and the 10 councils in Greater Manchester. It said police have live investigations into 'multi-victim, multi-offender' child sexual exploitation inquiries, involving 714 victims and survivors, and 1,099 suspects. Michelle Skeer, His Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary, said: 'We found that since 2019, when Greater Manchester Police started to review its non-recent child sexual exploitation investigations, the force has improved its understanding and approach to investigating allegations of child criminal and sexual exploitation. 'It is clear that the force has, for many years, been trying to provide a better service to those who have or may have experienced sexual exploitation. 'But for some, trust and confidence in the police had been lost, and the force would not be able to rectify their experiences. 'It is vital that improvements are led by victims' experiences, and if they do come forward, they are supported, protected and taken seriously.' The report from inspectors found Sir Stephen and other senior officers make sure all ranks understand child protection is a priority, it said, with he or deputy chief constables having personally spoken to every supervisor in the force about it. The report states: 'Officers told us that, due to a cultural shift in Greater Manchester Police, investigating child sexual exploitation is now considered 'everyone's business'.' Grooming gangs also 'feature heavily' in chief officer meetings, with performance monitored closely, the report said. GMP is the only force in the country to set up a dedicated team to investigate grooming gangs, which it did in 2021, now called the Child Sexual Exploitation Major Investigation Team (CSE MIT), with around 100 staff and a ring-fenced budget. The force also approaches child sexual exploitation as it does serious and organised crime gangs, using specialist tactics. In October 2024, the force told inspectors there were 59 live multi-victim, multi-offender child sexual exploitation investigations, of which 13 were being managed by the CSE MIT. In these active investigations, there were 714 victims and survivors, and 1,099 suspects. The force has also recorded demographic data, such as the age, sex and ethnicity of potential victims and suspects, and uses 'intelligence products' to produce 'problem profiles' to detail emerging threats and risks. A recent report by Baroness Casey found a significant over-representation of Asian men who are suspects in grooming gangs in Greater Manchester, adding though authorities are in 'denial' more needs to be done to understand why this is the case. Inspectors also said the force is aware of 'training gaps' in some investigation teams and that some victims had been let down in the way their case was handled. The report also pointed to issues with data sharing, with local councils sometimes not willing to provide detectives with information, leading to 'significant delays in investigations' into grooming gangs. It cites problems with intelligence provided by Manchester City Council, which took months to arrive and 'was so heavily redacted that some pages contained only a few words', the report said. Nevertheless, so far the CSE MIT and the earlier grooming gang investigations have resulted in 42 convictions and more than 430 years' imprisonment for offenders. Investigations are ongoing and several more trials are scheduled. The report adds: 'The force fully accepts that it made mistakes in the past. 'It has taken positive and effective steps to learn from these mistakes and improve how it investigates recent and non-recent child sexual exploitation.' Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: '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. '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.'
