Police have apologised for failing the victims of the Rochdale child sex abuse scandal, but said that no officers will face any misconduct proceedings.
A review by Greater Manchester Police's professional standards branch, supervised by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), highlighted failures "at individual and force level" into its dealings with victims from 2008 to 2010.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The actions of 13 police officers from the Rochdale division were investigated over their handling of the case and seven were served misconduct notices. After they were formally interviewed, six were "spoken to" and their performance issues were "individually addressed", said the force. One officer failed to serve an abduction notice on one member of the gang. Another was criticised for yawning while interviewing one of the victims about her allegations.
Only one detective inspector was said to have a "case to answer". However, he has since retired at the end of his 30 years' service, so no action can be taken. He had been in a supervisory role when one of the victims at the heart of the 2012 trial made the first allegations in 2008.
She has told The Guardian she is "fuming" after reading the report. "It's taken them four years and it reads like a whitewash. These policemen have done wrong and yet none of them has been named and the one they wanted to discipline has been able to retire. It just seems very, very convenient," she said.
Assistant Chief Constable Dawn Copley acknowledged that "mistakes were made and victims were let down".
She laid some blame on the "strong target-driven focus" on other areas of crime at the force between 2008 and 2010. "We apologise to the victims and we give them our assurance that lessons have been learned, changes have been made and we are determined to use this to continue making improvements," she said.
-
How will the new Repayment Assistance Plan for student loans work?the explainer The Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) will replace existing income-driven repayment plans
-
In the Spotlight Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been at odds with US forces
-
Music reviews: Ethel Cain, Amaarae, and The Black KeysFeature "Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You," "Black Star," and "No Rain, No Flowers"
-
What we know about the Copenhagen mall shootingSpeed Read Lone gunman had mental health issues and not thought to have terror motive, police say
-
Texas school shooting: parents turn anger on policeSpeed Read Officers had to be urged to enter building where gunman killed 21 people
-
DJ Tim Westwood denies multiple sexual misconduct allegationsSpeed Read At least seven women accuse the radio and TV presenter of predatory behaviour dating back three decades
-
What happened to Katie Kenyon?Speed Read Man charged as police search for missing 33-year-old last seen getting into van
-
Brooklyn subway shooting: exploring New York’s ‘steep decline in law and order’Speed Read Last week, a gunman set off smoke bombs and opened fire on a rush-hour train in the city
-
How the Capitol attack investigation is splitting the RepublicansSpeed Read Vote to censure two Republican representatives has revealed deep divisions within party
-
Is sentencing a Nazi sympathiser to read Shakespeare an appropriate punishment?Speed Read Judge seemed to think introducing student ‘to high culture’ would ‘magically make him a better person’ said The Daily Telegraph
-
Sarah Everard’s murder: a national reckoning?Speed Read Wayne Couzen’s guilty plea doesn’t ‘tidy away the reality of sexual violence’
