Scottish Government orders review into handling of complaints against grooming gangs

The Scottish Government has announced a review into the handling of complaints against grooming gangs.

The review will be led by an independent expert and will inform any future decisions on whether a judge-led inquiry is necessary.

It will be undertaken alongside that of the independent Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, and work already underway by Police Scotland to review previous cases, to gather evidence on the extent of group-related child sexual abuse and exploitation.

Professor Alexis Jay, who chaired the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in England and Wales and has ongoing work on Scotland’s national child sexual abuse and exploitation strategic group, will lead the review.

SNP education secretary Jenny Gilruth said the review is needed to allow the Government and other agencies to “understand the extent and scale” of child sexual exploitation and abuse in Scotland.

She said members of the National Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Strategic Group currently feel that there is “not enough information or data present to make an informed decision” about whether or not a public inquiry into grooming gangs should take place.

The announcement was made during a Scottish Labour Party debate at Holyrood on Wednesday afternoon.

The party welcomed reports that the Scottish Government will order an independent national review into grooming gangs in Scotland, but said it must now be carried out with “the urgency and care needed”.

“It is a fact that there have been grooming gangs operating in Scotland and we owe it to victims to take an unflinching look at the issue,” Scottish Labour justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill said.

“It shouldn’t have taken a Scottish Labour debate to force the SNP government to step up and take action on this issue, but this is the right decision.”

McNeill has led a motion calling on the Scottish Government to “urgently clarify” whether it will conduct an inquiry into grooming gangs in Scotland.

She also called for independent oversight of the Police Scotland review into group-based sexual exploitation of children.

Scotland

Police audit into child grooming gangs across Scotland

Police Scotland is also working to identify any ‘patterns, trends or concerns’ in the demographics of suspects and offenders.

The Scottish Conservatives have also been calling for a Scotland-wide grooming gang inquiry.

They previously tried to add an amendment to the Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform Bill in September to bring one about, but it was rejected by the Government.

Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay continued to insist on Wednesday that the Scottish Government should announce a “robust” public inquiry into grooming gangs without delay.

Earlier this month, the First Minister confirmed he had received a letter from Taylor, which is not her real name, who said she and her friends were plied with alcohol and drugs and sexually abused by at least ten men in Glasgow.

Taylor, who was 13 at the time, also called for a national inquiry.

She said in the letter that she has been “deeply disappointed” by John Swinney and Police Scotland, accusing both of dismissing her complaints.

Speaking to MSPs last week, Swinney said there are “complexities” about the interaction between a potential national inquiry into grooming gangs and the Scottish child abuse inquiry that the Government has already established in law.

“There are no straightforward ways through this issue, but I assure Parliament that the Government is giving every serious consideration to this important issue,” the First Minister said.

He then promised that the Scottish Government’s “position” on a grooming gangs inquiry would be stated before Christmas.

On Tuesday, a Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government’s absolute priority is protecting children from harm and tackling sexual abuse and exploitation in all of its forms.

“The current work of the expert National Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Strategic Group, is considering previous inquiries, evidence and practices across social work, education, police and healthcare to prioritise and agree further actions and recommendations for national improvement.

“Police Scotland is also reviewing recent relevant investigations.

“Their collective work will ensure informed evidence-based decisions are taken on the need for further independent inquiries or reviews.”

Gilruth said it is her intention to return to the Scottish Parliament chamber prior to Christmas with a more detailed update about the review.