The Government is set to reinvestigate hundreds of historic grooming gang cases alongside its decision to launch a full public inquiry into the issue.
The move will see the National Crime Agency (NCA) coordinate investigations with police forces across the UK to reopen previously closed cases and pursue perpetrators who have not yet faced justice.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper stated that more than 800 cases had already been identified following a review conducted earlier this year.
The agency will work with specialist units including Operation Hydrant and the Tackling Organised Exploitation Programme to “prevent more children from being hurt” and improve local police responses, according to the Home Office.
Announcing the crackdown, Cooper said: “The vulnerable young girls who suffered unimaginable abuse at the hands of groups of adult men have now grown into brave women who are rightly demanding justice for what they went through when they were just children.
“Not enough people listened to them then. That was wrong and unforgivable. We are changing that now.”
It comes after Sir Keir Starmer announced on Saturday that the Government would launch a full statutory inquiry into grooming gangs, marking a reversal after months of resisting pressure from campaigners, opposition parties and public figures, including tech billionaire Elon Musk.
The inquiry, to be established under the Inquiries Act, will have statutory powers to compel witnesses, demand documentation, and conduct local “deep dive” probes into institutional failures.
It will examine whether councils, police forces and other public bodies failed to respond adequately to reports of group-based child sexual exploitation.
The decision marks a significant shift in government policy. Starmer had previously resisted calls for a new inquiry, arguing it could delay justice for victims.
This position faced backlash in January after Musk used his X platform to criticise the Government’s refusal to approve a national inquiry into abuse in Oldham.
In a series of high-profile posts, Musk highlighted allegations that local authorities had failed to protect victims and accused ministers of trying to “cover up” abuse.
The row prompted the Government to launch a rapid review led by Baroness Casey and to seek legal advice from barrister Tom Crowther KC, who previously investigated abuse in Telford.
Speaking on Saturday, Starmer claimed that Casey had initially felt there was “not a real need for a national inquiry” before changing her position ahead of the conclusion of her review last week.
“She has come to the view that there should be a national inquiry on the basis of what she has seen. I have read every single word of her report, and I am going to accept her recommendation,” he told reporters.
The scandal first came to national attention in 2014 with the publication of Professor Alexis Jay’s report into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham, which found that more than 1,400 children had been abused between 1997 and 2013. Similar patterns have since been documented in at least 50 other towns and cities.
The announcement has drawn mixed reactions from political opponents. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage called it a “welcome U-turn” but claimed Starmer had “only acted because of pressure from Elon Musk and the public”.
Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, accused the Prime Minister of unnecessarily delaying the process. She said: “Keir Starmer doesn’t know what he thinks unless an official report has told him so. It’s about time he recognised he made a mistake and apologise for six wasted months.”
The inquiry’s scope and timeline are expected to be set out in the coming weeks, and Cooper will make a statement to Parliament on Monday outlining the inquiry’s terms of reference.
The Government said it also is still considering whether to introduce mandatory reporting laws, which would require professionals to report suspected abuse. A final decision is expected later this year.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Over 800 grooming gang cases to be reinvestigated alongside national inquiry )
Also on site :
- Chart-Topping 70's Rock Band Honors Fallen Members During Farewell Show
- Final Palisades fire evacuation order lifted
- Kevin Costner, 70, Opens Up About What's Next On His Bucket List