Met Police reviewing 9,000 grooming cases over 15 years

The Metropolitan Police has confirmed it has investigated nine thousand cases of child sexual abuse.

The Met said in a statement that it was re-investigating “cases in domestic, peer-to-peer and institutional settings, as well as cases that do not fit the common understanding of ‘grooming gangs'”.

The cases are being re-examined following a national review of group-based child sexual abuse; This review found that it was more widespread, organized and less reported than previously acknowledged.

The force said it “takes any allegations or concerns about child sexual abuse and criminal exploitation of children incredibly seriously.”

Baroness Casey’s report, National Audit on Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Exploitationit also found a “mismatch” in the way the Metropolitan Police and local authorities recorded child abuse.

The report, published in June, revealed that the ethnic origins of the people involved had been “dismissed” by the authorities.

Scotland Yard on Saturday said group-based crime was “particularly insidious and devastating due to its profound impact on the children affected”.

In a statement, the police added: “Since 2022, there have been significant improvements in the way the Met detects and investigates group-based crime, including the training of 11,000 frontline officers and the expansion of our child abuse teams.

“Last year we solved three times as many child sexual abuse cases, which means 134 more suspects charged.

“Our commitment to protecting all victims of such horrific crimes and bringing those responsible to justice is absolute.”

The cases the force is currently examining cover a 15-year period and the Met said this was the same period as Baroness Casey’s report.

A spokesman for Sir Sadiq Khan said the information was released because “the mayor demands full transparency and has consistently asked the Met to leave no stone unturned in investigating these appalling crimes”.

The spokesman added: “Individuals or gangs who exploit children for sex are utterly disgusting.

“Sadiq is very clear that they need to face the full force of the law.

“Not only were these children subjected to horrific abuse by the perpetrators, but they were also sadly let down by the authorities who wanted to protect them from harm.”