Information
An inspection of the effectiveness of the police and law enforcement bodies’ response to group-based child sexual exploitation in England and Wales
On 21 March 2022, the then Home Secretary, the Rt Hon Priti Patel MP, wrote to us, requesting an inspection under section 54 (2B) of the Police Act 1996.The terms of reference asked us to inspect the police and other law enforcement bodies in England and Wales and consider how effectively they respond to victims and perpetrators of group-based child sexual exploitation. We were also asked to assess how their responses influence investigations and the ways in which they safeguard children. During our inspection, we focused on three broad areas:
- The nature and scale of offending.
- The police’s attitude towards victims.
- The quality of investigations and wider outcomes.
During September and December 2022, our fieldwork took place in six police forces in England and Wales, two regional organised crime units and the NCA. This report sets out our findings and can be downloaded here
PFCC Response
The Police Fire and Crime Commissioner for Northamptonshire fully recognises the importance of this as a subject. She places children, young people and their safeguarding at the heart of her Police, Fire and Crime Plan and all that she seeks to deliver. The Commissioner was pleased to see from this national thematic report that there was a recognition that progress had been made since the HMICFRS 2023 inspection and report, for example, in the areas of reducing victim blaming language and some investigations but also noted that there were still improvements to be made in a number of areas, including activity from the College of Policing and the Home Office.
The Commissioner noted that there were still a number of recommendations from the 2023 report that have not been fully implemented and also that this report from 2025 contains additional recommendations. She intends to use the report and recommendations to seek assurances through her accountability and assurances process with the Chief Constable that in Northamptonshire the 2023 recommendations have been put into place or if this is the case why and when they will be and likewise seek assurances in relation to the implementation of the 2025 report recommendation in so far as they relate to specific Forces or Chief Constables.
