Police left children at mercy of grooming gangs in Rochdale, review finds

Girls were “left at the mercy” of paedophile grooming gangs for years because of failings by senior police and council bosses, a report has said.

The review covers 2004 to 2013 and sets out a series of failed investigations by Greater Manchester Police (GMP).

It also highlights the apparent local authority indifference to the plight of hundreds of youngsters identified as potential victims of Asian men.

GMP has apologised and said such cases were handled very differently now.

The report also identifies 96 men still deemed a potential risk to children, adding that this was “only a proportion” of the numbers involved in the abuse.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has since called for disciplinary action to be taken against police officers and council officials who “failed in their duties” as well as some prosecutors in the North West.

He also praised whistleblowers, including health worker Sara Rowbotham and former GMP detective Maggie Oliver, who raised concerns despite facing vocal criticism from authorities.

In 2007, Ms Rowbotham and her team had alerted GMP and Rochdale Council about a gang of men of Pakistani and Afghan heritage engaged in child sexual exploitation (CSE) while Ms Oliver resigned from GMP in 2012 to publicly reveal the extent of the police failings.

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