A lengthy £ 6m investigation into a number of police failures during the Rotherham haircut scandal “disappointed victims and survivors” by failing to identify individual responsibility, a police and crime commissioner said.
The Independent Police Behavior Service (IOPC) released on Wednesday what it described as its comprehensive report on Operation Linden, the name given to a series of investigations it conducted into how South Yorkshire police responded to allegations of sexual abuse and child exploitation. between 1997 and 2013
It is estimated that more than 1,400 children were sexually exploited in Rotherham during the 16-year period.
The report concludes that the forces have failed to protect vulnerable children. The IOPC conducted 91 investigations into police omissions, covering 265 individual allegations made by 51 complainants. A total of 47 officers were investigated, with the IOPC finding that eight had been charged with misconduct and six with gross misconduct.
No employee has lost their job as a result of the process, and the most severe sanction is a written warning.
South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Billings said “a lot of time and money has been spent on several new discoveries or accountability”. He added: “I am disappointed that after eight years of very costly investigations, this report has failed to make any significant recommendations over what South Yorkshire police have already adopted and implemented from previous investigations several years ago.
“He repeats what previous reports and reviews show – that there was an unacceptable practice between 1997 and 2013 – but fails to identify individual responsibility. As a result, he disappointed the victims and the survivors. “
Operation Linden was, IOPC said, “one of our largest and most complex investigations” to date, second only to the investigation into the Hillsborough failures – also by South Yorkshire police.
The new report outlines in grim, “unreadable” details the repeated failures of the police in handling the allegations in Rotherham. He found that over and over again, police officers were not fully aware of or were able to deal with sexual abuse and exploitation of children. Employees have repeatedly lacked empathy, with some seeing children as “agreeing” to their exploitation.
A parent concerned about a missing daughter said they had been told by a police officer that “this is a ‘fashion accessory’ for Rotterdam girls to have an ‘older Asian boyfriend’ and that she will grow out of it.”
Another parent was told by an officer investigating the rape of his 15-year-old daughter in a park in Rotherham that the incident would teach the child a “lesson”.
Steve Noonan, director of major investigations at the IOPC, said survivors would be disappointed with the results against individual officials. But he said his team quickly realized they were investigating systemic failures.
The inquiry is estimated at £ 6 million, he said, adding: “We cannot set a price for making major changes to the system. Survivors have told us that they do not want this to happen to anyone again and the changes that have been made and still need to be made … we believe that will lead to real change.
“This is to ensure that we protect those who are most vulnerable. We take care of them and support them and do not criminalize them. “
Last year, the IOPC made a number of recommendations, and the report said it was encouraged by the South Yorkshire police response, believing it was demonstrating its “commitment to action so that the problems in this report never recur.”
David Greenwood, a lawyer representing 80 Rotterdam survivors, said the report showed “how the police complaints system has provided zero accountability and needs reform”.
Tim Forber, deputy chief of police in South Yorkshire, said the force had accepted the IOPC’s findings, which closely reflected those highlighted by Professor Alexis Jay in 2014. Jay’s report revealed political and police failures that shocked Britain.
Forber said that for the police, this brought a clear reality to our failures in dealing with the sexual exploitation of children. We disappointed the victims. We have not been able to recognize their vulnerability and we have not been able to see them as victims, which I deeply regret. They deserved better than us.
“The bold stories of these girls have caused a seismic shift in police crime of this nature for South Yorkshire police and the wider police force.
Forber said a lot has changed in the service. “Although I am convinced that today we are a very different force, I will not lose sight of the fact that we made a mistake and misled the victims.
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