Latest news with #HMInspectorate
The Guardian
03-07-2025
- The Guardian
Greater Manchester police investigating over 1,000 grooming gang suspects
Greater Manchester police are investigating more than 1,000 grooming gang suspects, as a new report found the force was 'trying to provide a better service to those who have experienced sexual exploitation'. The force has made 'significant improvements' in how it investigates grooming gangs and other types of child sexual abuse offences, according to the report by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services. The report looks at the way grooming gangs and other child sex offences are handled by the police, health bodies and the 10 councils across Greater Manchester. It said police have live investigations into 'multi-victim, multi-offender' child sexual exploitation cases involving 714 victims and survivors and 1,099 suspects. 'We found that since 2019, when Greater Manchester police started to review its non-recent child sexual exploitation investigations, the force has improved its understanding and approach to investigating allegations of child criminal and sexual exploitation,' the constabulary inspector, Michelle Skeer, said. 'It is clear that the force has, for many years, been trying to provide a better service to those who have or may have experienced sexual exploitation. 'But for some, trust and confidence in the police had been lost, and the force would not be able to rectify their experiences. 'It is vital that improvements are led by victims' experiences, and if they do come forward, they are supported, protected and taken seriously.' At a press conference, GMP's chief constable, Sir Stephen Watson, said those who had failed victims in the past 'should face justice like anyone else'. He continued: 'To those who are responsible for these repugnant crimes – as is now very apparent – we will pursue you relentlessly.' The chief constable said the role ethnicity played in grooming gang offending was a 'legitimate question' and may be explored in a future national inquiry. A recent report by Louise Casey found that Asian men were significantly over-represented as suspects in grooming gangs in Greater Manchester, saying authorities were in 'denial', and that more needed to be done to understand why this was the case. GMP is the only force in the country to set up a dedicated team to investigate grooming gangs, which it did in 2021, now called the child sexual exploitation major investigation team (CSE MIT), with about 100 staff and a ringfenced budget. The force approaches child sexual exploitation as it does serious and organised crime gangs, using specialist tactics. The report identified issues where improvements could be made in order to better address the issue and progress investigations. These included data sharing, with local councils sometimes not willing to provide detectives with information, leading to 'significant delays in investigations'. The report said intelligence provided by Manchester city council took months to arrive and 'was so heavily redacted that some pages contained only a few words'. So far the CSE MIT and the earlier grooming gang investigations have resulted in 42 convictions, with offenders imprisoned for a total of more than 430 years. Other investigations are ongoing, with several more trials scheduled. Also speaking at the press conference, Greater Manchester's mayor, Andy Burnham, said: 'I am confident in my view that the Greater Manchester system is in a demonstrably different and far stronger place today than it was when the failings happened.' 'The effect of the assurance review I commissioned has been to usher in widespread culture change across all GM bodies. Never again will any child here be labelled or dismissed when they come forward to report concerns,' Burnham added. 'Now the national inquiry is being put in place, we must allow victims the space and the right climate to have their voices heard, allow the actual truth to be established and accountability delivered.'
Telegraph
03-07-2025
- Telegraph
Police force investigating 1,000 grooming suspects
A police force that had to apologise to victims over decades of failure over grooming gangs is now investigating more than 1,000 suspects, a watchdog has said. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has made 'significant improvements' in how it investigates group-based sexual exploitation of children, or grooming gangs, and other types of child sexual abuse offences, according to the report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services. The 76-page report looks at how grooming gangs and other child sex offences are handled by the police, health bodies and the 10 councils in Greater Manchester. It said police have live investigations into 'multi-victim, multi-offender' child sexual exploitation inquiries, involving 714 victims and survivors, and 1,099 suspects. 'Trust and confidence had been lost' Michelle Skeer, HM Inspector of Constabulary, said: 'We found that since 2019, when Greater Manchester Police started to review its non-recent child sexual exploitation investigations, the force has improved its understanding and approach to investigating allegations of child criminal and sexual exploitation. 'It is clear that the force has, for many years, been trying to provide a better service to those who have or may have experienced sexual exploitation. 'But for some, trust and confidence in the police had been lost, and the force would not be able to rectify their experiences. 'It is vital that improvements are led by victims' experiences, and if they do come forward, they are supported, protected and taken seriously.' The report from inspectors found current Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson and other senior officers make sure all ranks understand child protection is a priority, it said, with him or deputy chief constables having personally spoken to every supervisor in the force about it. The report states: 'Officers told us that, due to a cultural shift in Greater Manchester Police, investigating child sexual exploitation is now considered 'everyone's business'.' Specialist tactics Grooming gangs also 'feature heavily' in chief officer meetings, with performance monitored closely, the report said. Greater Manchester is the only force in the country to set up a dedicated team to investigate grooming gangs, which it did in 2021, now called the Child Sexual Exploitation Major Investigation Team (CSE MIT), with around 100 staff and a ring-fenced budget. The force also approaches child sexual exploitation as it does serious and organised crime gangs, using specialist tactics. In October 2024, the force told inspectors there were 59 live multi-victim multi-offender child sexual exploitation investigations, of which 13 were being managed by the CSE MIT. In these active investigations, there were 714 victims and survivors, and 1,099 suspects. The force has also recorded demographic data, such as the age, sex and ethnicity of potential victims and suspects and uses 'intelligence products' to produce 'problem profiles' to detail emerging threats and risks. A recent report by Baroness Casey found a significant over-representation of Asian men who are suspects in grooming gangs in Greater Manchester, adding that although authorities are in 'denial', more needs to be done to understand why this is the case. 'Heavily redacted' Inspectors also said the force is aware of 'training gaps' in some investigation teams and that some victims had been let down in the way their case was handled. And the report also pointed to issues with data sharing, with local councils sometimes not willing to provide detectives with information, leading to 'significant delays in investigations' into grooming gangs. It cites problems with intelligence provided by Manchester city council, which took months to arrive and 'was so heavily redacted that some pages contained only a few words', the report said. Nevertheless, so far, the CSE MIT and the earlier grooming gang investigations have resulted in 42 convictions and more than 430 years imprisonment for offenders. Investigations are ongoing and several more trials are scheduled. The report adds: 'The force fully accepts that it made mistakes in the past. 'It has taken positive and effective steps to learn from these mistakes and improve how it investigates recent and non-recent child sexual exploitation.'
BBC News
12-06-2025
- BBC News
Lincolnshire probation service rated inadequate by inspectors
A probation service in Lincolnshire has been rated inadequate by East and West Lincolnshire Probation Delivery Unit (PDU) was inspected by HM Inspectorate of Probation in included a "worrying" lack of attention paid to keeping people safe in assessments, and geographical difficulties in covering a large rural area.A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said there was currently a "strain" on the probation service, and it planned to boost funding by 45% by 2028. 'Long distances' The PDU is responsible for managing and supervising people on probation from its main offices in Boston, Grantham, Lincoln, and report stated there was "insufficient analysis of domestic abuse and safeguarding information" from said some people on probation were travelling "long distances" to attend appointments, with managers "struggling to maintain sufficient visibility" across the area it findings included a "supportive teamwork culture" as well as "engaged and motivated" in the report included ensuring effective management oversight was provided and analysing information on domestic abuse and child safeguarding to inform the quality of assessments. 'System in crisis' Martin Jones, chief inspector of probation, said: "Despite a positive and supportive teamwork culture, we found regional and local governance arrangements to be driving staff and managers to prioritise performance targets over delivering a quality service. "Unfortunately, the quality of work delivered to manage risk of harm was insufficient, which resulted in an overall rating of inadequate."A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "The government inherited a criminal justice system in crisis, placing significant strain on the probation service."That is why we are boosting probation funding by 45%, investing up to £700m more a year by 2028, and are on track to recruit 2,300 more probation officers nationally by March next year." Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
BBC News
30-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Leicestershire probation service rated 'inadequate' by inspectors
The probation service in Leicestershire and Rutland has been rated "inadequate" for the second time in three years following visits by Leicestershire and Rutland Probation Delivery Unit (PDU) was inspected by HM Inspectorate of Probation in inspection found the delivery of services to reduce the risk of harm posed by people on probation "insufficient" in most Jones, chief inspector of probation said there had been "encouraging signs of improvement" since the 2022 inspection which concluded that services in the area were "inadequate". The HM Inspectorate report said the PDU was one of the "largest" by overall caseload in England and Wales, with offices in Leicester, Coalville and Loughborough. 'Lack of liaison' Mr Jones said: "Since the previous inspection in 2022 the PDU has faced ongoing challenges including high staff turnover, elevated sickness rates and, like all PDUs and regions, a prolonged period of significant and frequent changes linked to early prison releases."Only in the past six months has there been a noticeable shift towards improvement."The inspection found the leadership team at the PDU was "well-respected" and staff across all grades said they felt able to provide feedback to senior according to the report there was "a lack of professional curiosity" with practitioners not responding to new information when they received it as well as a "lack of liaison" with other inspection also found in 24% of cases where child safeguarding information should have been requested it had not been, and in 15% of cases no request had been made for domestic abuse information when it should have report made six recommendations to the PDU, including to improve the quality of work to assess and review risk of harm, and to develop practitioners' confidence and skills in the use of professional Ministry of Justice, which has overall control of the probation service, said the government is "on track" to recruit 2,300 more probation officers nationally by March next year.A spokesperson said: "This will help ensure offenders receive robust supervision and improve the work probation does to keep the public safe."
BBC News
22-05-2025
- BBC News
Inspectorate rates Nottinghamshire probation services 'inadequate'
Probation services in Nottinghamshire have been rated "inadequate" following visits by inspectors. The Nottingham City Probation Delivery Unit (PDU) and the Nottinghamshire PDU were separately inspected by HM Inspectorate of Probation in services were found to be understaffed with "urgent improvements needed", and a number of recommendations for change were put Jones, chief inspector of probation, said both PDUs would be "undoubtedly disappointed", but he was confident improvements could be made. The inspections were the first to take place of each service since PDUs were established under the unification of probation services in Nottingham, inspectors had "serious concerns" about the quality of work to keep people safe with "insufficient focus on public protection". Mechanisms in place for sharing information with the police and children's services were too often ineffective, Mr Jones said. The report said there were failures to identify all potential children at risk and that practitioners did not seek out information from necessary local authorities. On one occasion, a practitioner made safeguarding inquiries in relation to a 31-year-old father who had received a suspended sentence for drug-related offences - but a response was not received for three months during which time the man's contact with his child was "not clearly assessed". Despite a range of available services and efforts made to meet "diverse needs" of people on probation, the inspection found there were "worryingly low rates of referrals across almost all the services on offer". The report made six recommendations to Nottingham PDU, including to improve the quality of work to assess, plan for, manage, and review risk of harm, and to ensure domestic abuse and safeguarding information was complete and sufficiently analysed in all found the Nottinghamshire PDU was understaffed despite there being positive team morale and a "healthy culture". 'Insufficient' Workloads were also sometimes unmanageable with staff covering for sickness or vacant posts, inspectors said."Staff were also struggling with the impact of large-scale, time-pressured changes to process which meant they were often fatigued or overwhelmed," the report said. Similarly to the city's unit, the quality of work to keep people safe was found to be "insufficient". Work to reduce reoffending was low in most cases that were looked at during the inspection and flagged in the report as a weakness for the unit. The report added that less than half of the people that needed it received sufficient help with alcohol and drug PDU, which has contact centres in Nottingham, Worksop, Mansfield and Newark, received five recommendations for included requests to ensure facilities to interview people on probation were safe and private, and to devise and implement arrangements for monitoring and improving the quality of sentence management work delivered by practitioners.A statement from Mr Jones said: "Given the improving resourcing picture at Nottingham City and the strong staff culture at Nottinghamshire, there are some potential building blocks for success in each PDU. "With an increased focus on the quality of service delivery and work to protect the public, I am confident improvements can be made."
