Rotherham Abuse Warnings Made Public

A Freedom of Information request from The Sheffield Star has revealed that the authorities in Rotherham were warned about child sexual exploitation in 2003 and once again in 2006.

Despite warnings that organised gangs were grooming and abusing young girls, both warnings were in vain as the Council and Police officers took no action.

The news comes following an inquiry last year which showed that 1,400 children were abused by gangs of men, the vast majority of which from a Pakistani origin. The abuse, which occurred between 1997 and 2013 was first flagged ten years before the gang were eventually caught.

The incidents were reported by ex-South Yorkshire Police drugs analyst Angie Heal, who has stated that she "cannot fathom" why her reports did not lead to action.

Freedom of Information Request

The disturbing revelation comes from a Freedom of Information request from the local newspaper, The Sheffield Star. The newspaper revealed two reports from the South Yorkshire Police analyst Dr Heal who warned in 2003 there “was no room for complacency over the issue.” before reiterating her belief in a follow-up report in 2006 in which she stated that they were now dealing with a well established criminal gang.

The reports also documented sexual abuse in Sheffield and other areas in an attempt to try and raise police action. Dr Heal, who published the initial reports told the BBC: "There didn't seem to be a co-ordinated response from senior police officers to this really, serious crime.

"Anyone that understood the issues of child sexual exploitation and abuse would have thought there was a moral duty to act, let alone a legal duty."

She added: "It meant that a significant number, over 1,400, continued to be abused, exploited, raped, their families devastated by what happened.

"It makes me angry and very upset that it was allowed to continue."

Action Against Sexual Abuse

The reports, which originated through Dr Heal’s reports regarding drug dealing and related problems in the county from 2002 to 2006, were referenced in the 2014 Jay Report which uncovered the sexual exploitation and led to police action against the gang.

The report, which was seen in November 2014, 11 years after the publication of the first report, states that both reports notified high ranking police officers, including South Yorkshire Police's District commander and chief superintendents.

Despite the claims from Dr Heal and the Jay Report, Rotherham Council stated that they were "unable to find any reference to the documents being formally considered" by the authority.

Report “Known About.”

Worryingly, according to many experts, South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Billings officials and agencies knew about the reports and knew of the shocking information they contained.

While they acknowledge that agencies may have turned a blind eye, or wanted to act, they were focussed on other aims and other targets. Crime Commissioner Alan Billings said: "The reports are utterly shocking. When you read them, there's no holds barred.

"They went not only to police and local government but to safeguarding boards and the national government. It was widely known what she said.

"I think there are more people that have questions to answer than the police. The only sense I can make of it is that at that time, police were prioritising other things like burglary and car theft. I don't think anyone understood what grooming was."

Failings In The Past

The South Yorkshire Police admitted that while they were doing all the can to tackle sexual exploitation now, there had been significant failings in the past with regards to the force. The pointed to an Independent Police Complaints Commission into misconduct issues and stated that they were making progress while admitting that more needs to be done to prevent anything similar occurring again.

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