Rotherham: New report says police had cultural of ‘disregard for victims’

By The Press Association28th August 2014News EnglandChild Abuse, News England, Rotherham, Sexual Abuse

The under-fire police force at the centre of the Rotherham child abuse scandal has faced fresh criticism for failing to protect vulnerable victims of crime.

South Yorkshire Police’s public protection unit (PPU), which handles sex crimes such as rape, honour-based violence and domestic abuse, had an “unacceptable” culture that saw officers spending a lot of time trying to disprove allegations, a report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) says.

The investigation, which saw inspectors visit the force in February, threatened to heap more pressure on embattled police and crime commissioner Shaun Wright, who was elected to the £85,000 post in November 2012.

The fallout from Professor Alexis Jay’s separate report into 16 years of widespread child abuse in the Yorkshire town continued today with an ex-council official saying senior authority figures knew “many” children were at risk of sexual exploitation almost a decade ago.

Mr Wright is facing demands for an investigation into whether he committed misconduct in public office during his time as head of children’s services at the borough council between 2005 and 2010.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg added his voice to those calling for the commissioner to “do the decent thing” and quit over the scandal.

The HMIC report said the police force’s PPU had a cultural “disregard for victims” and was criticised for under-recording crime, highlighting the impact this had on vulnerable children who had been victims of sexual assault.

It said: “There is an inherent risk that a significant number of reported offences of a serious nature have not been recorded and that vulnerable victims have, as a consequence, been left unprotected or at risk of further offending.”

South Yorkshire Police is already under scrutiny after Professor Jay’s report criticised police for not making child sexual exploitation (CSE) a priority and “regarding many child victims with contempt”.