Statement on the IOPC - Operation Linden Report
WhistleblowersUK would like to express our ongoing support for all victims of child sexual abuse and exploitation and the courage and perseverance of the whistleblowers who speak out to expose it.
You all deserve proper recognition - you are real Heroes!
The stories are incredibly painful to read, but the ongoing tragedy created by the failure of the police and other relevant organisations to intercept and prevent abuse is not only difficult to understand but indefensible.
The latest report by Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) into the failings of South Yorkshire Police to tackle Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (CSEA) delivers predictable conclusions. The IOPC are clear, there were multiple failings within Rotherham police officers from the bottom to the top, missed multiple opportunities to stop harm and that failure was catastrophic.
These failures allowed the continued abuse of children.
One of the report's most damning findings is that the responsibility and accountability for CSEA crimes within South Yorkshire Police was unclear. Despite frontline officers being aware of the increased prevalence of Asian men involved in these crimes no one escalated concerns and no one took any action. This report is a repetition of what we see routinely in many other organisations who are confronted with scandal at a later point. People are unaware of how and where they can raise concerns or are deterred by the experience of others who have been silenced by threats and intimidation, often involving NDA’s.
Jayne Senior MBE, our safeguarding director, said of the report,
“We are pleased that the IOPC have agreed with our complaint that senior officers in South Yorkshire Police failed in their statutory duty to protect children, due to the lack of a proactive police response to tackling child sexual exploitation in Rotherham.
However, we are very disappointed that the Senior Command Team at South Yorkshire Police have said they do not agree with the IOPC’s findings. It seems they are still denying that senior officers had any responsibility. Ultimately, the lack of proactive police action against the perpetrators of CSE has ruined many lives in Rotherham. Public confidence in the police is at an all time low and deservedly so. This report is the second in a week, costing taxpayers a fortune and has taken almost as long as Hillsborough and is notably unable to hold anyone to account! It pays lip service to victims, potentially thousands of children, who were the target of criminals who subjected them to abhorrent and inhumane crimes all under the nose of the police who prioritised issuing parking fines.”
Further comments from Jayne Senior can be found here
This report has recognised that not content with ignoring children who were violently raped, tortured and exploited, the police condoned the harassment of whistleblowers like Jayne Senior.
As CEO of WhistleblowersUK I will be leading calls to the Home Secretary to launch an immediate inquiry into who was responsible and why the IOPC is unable to identify them. This is not a witch hunt but a necessary and urgent request for justice for victims and the public interest.
The Government cannot prevaricate on the safety of children and the protection of whistleblowers who are the first line of defence against the crimes detailed in this report.
WhistleblowersUK again call on the government to adopt the Whistleblowing Bill put before them on 26th April by Mary Robinson MP for Cheadle and Chair of the APPG for Whistleblowing.
Signed
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