The National Crime Agency will assume control of investigations into shocking allegations that South Yorkshire Police officers sexually abused children who were victims of Rotherham grooming gangs, following mounting pressure for independent oversight.
The decision comes after five women who were exploited by grooming gangs as children alleged they were also raped and abused by serving police officers between the 1990s and early 2000s. Three former officers have been arrested in connection with the allegations, whilst a fourth accused officer died in 2015 before facing disciplinary action.
Assistant Chief Constable Hayley Barnett announced the force had requested the NCA takeover, stating: “Concerns around the mode of investigation have put the force, and not the victim survivors, at the centre of the narrative, and this fails to align with a truly victim-centred investigation.
Harrowing Allegations Against Officers
The BBC investigation in July revealed disturbing testimony from survivors, including one woman who said she was raped from the age of 12 by a serving officer in a marked police car. The officer allegedly threatened to hand her back to grooming gangs if she refused to comply.
“In a world where you were being abused so much, being raped once [by a police officer] was a lot easier than multiple rapes [by the gang] and I think he knew that,” the survivor told the BBC.
Another victim, known as “Willow”, described being sexually abused by hundreds of men over five years after being targeted at age 11. She alleged two police officers also abused her, with one repeatedly tracking her down and demanding sex in exchange for not being returned to the gangs.
Calls for Independent Investigation
Professor Alexis Jay, who authored the landmark 2014 report exposing the scale of Rotherham’s grooming scandal, expressed shock that South Yorkshire Police was initially investigating its own former officers. “She’s right. The idea that a police force can investigate its own wrongdoing at this scale is laughable.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp had also called for a separate body to lead the probe, insisting there could be no “conflicts of interest” in such serious allegations. The Conservative MP has been vocal about the need for transparency in addressing historical failures around grooming gangs.
Operation Stovewood’s Expanded Remit
The investigation will be conducted by officers from Operation Stovewood, the NCA’s existing inquiry into non-recent child sexual abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013. Led by the National Crime Agency, our officers are investigating allegations of abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.
Operation Stovewood represents the UK’s largest law enforcement investigation into non-familial child sexual exploitation. “To date, we have identified around 1,150 potential victims. More than 220 people have been arrested or attended a police station voluntarily, of which 39 have been convicted.
The operation has already secured significant convictions, with “47 offenders who have so far received prison sentences totalling more than 1,300 years, including concurrent sentences.
Victims’ Trust Paramount
ACC Barnett acknowledged the critical importance of victim confidence, stating: “I am also mindful there is a chance that some victim survivors may be suffering in silence and unwilling to make a report as a result of SYP’s involvement.”
Switalskis solicitors, representing survivors, welcomed the development as a “step in the right direction”. The firm has been collecting testimony from victims for over a decade, with lawyer Amy Clowrey describing the accounts as “utterly harrowing.”
David Greenwood from Switalskis expressed concerns about the initial investigation, stating he could not be confident there were not officers “burying evidence or just not finding evidence deliberately” due to potential connections with those involved.
Systemic Failures Exposed
The allegations against police officers compound the devastating findings of the 2014 Jay Report, which identified at least 1,400 children had been sexually abused in Rotherham over 16 years. Failure to address the abuse has been linked to factors such as fear of racism allegations due to the perpetrators’ ethnicity; sexist attitudes towards the mostly working-class victims; lack of a child-centred focus; a desire to protect the town’s reputation; and lack of training and resources.
The new allegations suggest corruption went beyond negligence to active participation in abuse. Witness accounts describe officers supplying drugs to gangs, destroying victim statements, and using their positions of authority to facilitate further exploitation.
Force Transformation Acknowledged
South Yorkshire Police emphasised that whilst the force had undergone significant transformation since the failures in Rotherham, the harm suffered by victims “remains their reality every single day.
The NCA confirmed it would ensure “victims remain at the heart of this investigation,” maintaining the victim-focused approach that has characterised Operation Stovewood since its inception in 2014.
“Our second priority is seek to identify and bring offenders to justice, prioritising those who may still be active in Rotherham or elsewhere today and those who have caused most harm in the past.”
Ongoing Criminal Proceedings
The three arrested former officers include one man in his sixties and two in their fifties. They face suspicion of historic sexual offences including attempted rape, indecent assault and misconduct in public office whilst on duty. None have yet been charged.
The investigation continues to examine allegations spanning from the mid-1990s to early 2000s, with the NCA encouraging any victims who have not yet come forward to contact Operation Stovewood.
As this unprecedented investigation expands, it serves as a stark reminder of the catastrophic institutional failures that allowed widespread child sexual exploitation to continue unchecked for decades in Rotherham.
Follow for more updates on Britannia Daily
