West Mercia Police makes ‘unequivocal apology’ to Telford CSE victims

The inquiry, which was commissioned by Telford and Wrekin Council in April 2018, found that there were significant failings by public services, including West Mercia Police, in the handling of child sexual exploitation (CSE) in the borough dating back to the mid-90s.

The inquiry concluded more than 1,000 children were sexually exploited over at least 30 years in Telford amid “shocking” police and council failings.

It said that for decades CSE “thrived” in the Shropshire town and went “unchecked” because of failures to investigate offenders and protect children amid fears that probes into Asian men would “inflame racial tensions”.

Inquiry chair Tom Crowther QC said: “The overwhelming theme of the evidence has been the appalling suffering of generations of children caused by the utter cruelty of those who committed child sexual exploitation.

“Victims and survivors repeatedly told the inquiry how, when they were children, adult men worked to gain their trust before ruthlessly betraying that trust, treating them as sexual objects or commodities.

“Countless children were sexually assaulted and raped. They were deliberately humiliated and degraded. They were shared and trafficked. They were subjected to violence and their families were threatened.

“They lived in fear and their lives were forever changed.”

He said an absence of police action had emboldened offenders, and added: “It is impossible not to wonder how different the lives of those early 2000s victims of child sexual exploitation – and indeed many others unknown to this inquiry – may have been had West Mercia Police done its most basic job and acted upon these reports of crime.

“It is also impossible in my view, not to conclude that there was a real chance that unnecessary suffering and even deaths of children may have been avoided.”

He also criticised the failure on the part of Telford’s politicians” not to regard a CSE response as an “essential service” in the period before 2016.

Mr Crowther said among the failings identified were: obvious signs of CSE were “ignored”; exploitation was “not investigated because of nervousness about race”; and information was not properly shared between agencies, with some bodies dismissing child exploitation as “child prostitution” and even blaming the children instead of the perpetrators;

Seven men were jailed in 2013 following Operation Chalice, a police investigation into child prostitution in the Telford area.

Speaking on behalf of West Mercia Police, Assistant Chief Constable Richard Cooper, said: “I would like to say sorry. Sorry to the survivors and all those affected by child sexual exploitation in Telford. While there were no findings of corruption, our actions fell far short of the help and protection you should have had from us, it was unacceptable, we let you down. It is important we now take time to reflect critically and carefully on the context of the report and the recommendations that have been made.

“Whilst we are in a different place now there are no excuses for the past. What I can give you are assurances that we have made vast improvements to the way we tackle these crimes, but we cannot and will not stop there. We’re absolutely committed to continually looking to improve our approach.”

Mr Cooper added: “We now have teams dedicated to preventing and tackling child exploitation. We also have an Online Child Sexual Exploitation Team (OCSET) to ensure that we are targeting offenders both online and in person.

“The officers in these teams work incredibly hard, day in day out, to actively root out perpetrators and put them before the courts as well as preventing offending.

“The way we work with other agencies has evolved and we now work better together so that we can act quickly to safeguard children at risk of being targeted and prevent harm whenever we can.

“When the worst does happen and a child is harmed, or if someone reaches out about an offence that happened some time ago, we have specially trained officers who understand the complex and sensitive nature of these issues and can ensure the right and necessary support is there.”

He concluded: “Some years ago we introduced exploitation and vulnerability trainers delivering training to those in jobs and roles that may be able to spot the signs of offences such as council workers, teachers, hotel staff and taxi drivers which has been invaluable.

“We want people who are, or think they are, being exploited or are concerned about child sexual exploitation to report this to us. We will listen and we will act on any information given to us.”

West Mercia’s police and crime commissioner (PCC) John Campion said victims and survivors, along with their loved ones, “have been let down and I am sorry that this has happened”.

He added: “I cannot say with absolute certainty, just because lessons have been learnt, that it will never happen again. However, my drive as PCC remains resolute to ensure the system, that is there to keep people safe, continues building on the progress that has been made.

“This report will no doubt have people questioning their confidence in policing. This is why my commitment is clear. I want victims to feel empowered to speak up, knowing that their local police, who are there to keep them safe, have learnt important lessons.

“I am reassured that West Mercia Police has greater knowledge and understanding, better training and dedicated resources than it had in the past. Despite this progress, I will continue to support and challenge the force in delivering the level of service that victims and our community would expect.

“Across West Mercia I have not only invested in more local police officers, but also in services and projects that raise awareness so that people can spot the signs of this abhorrent crime.

“This has to be a whole society approach if we are to be successful, in which communities play a vital role. I will equip communities to not only protect themselves, but those around them, and encourage them to report any concerns they have.

“Doing everything possible to keep our vulnerable young people safe, and seeing that the full force of the law is brought down on those that seek to exploit them, is quite rightly what the public expect.

“This includes taking the recommendations from the inquiry and ensuring they are implemented. I will therefore ensure their voice is heard, reflected and represented as we continue in this drive to do better.”

In a statement, Telford and Wrekin Council said: “We apologise wholeheartedly to victims and survivors for the pain they have gone through and thank them for sharing their experiences with the inquiry, which must have been incredibly difficult to do.

“Child sexual exploitation is a vile crime that disgusts us and all right thinking people.

“The independent inquiry acknowledges we have made significant improvements in recent years.

“We are working very hard, day in and day out, to provide the best possible support for victims of this crime. We will continue to work alongside and listen to victims and survivors.

“Telford and Wrekin Council commissioned the report that dates back to 1989 and accept the inquiry’s recommendations, many of which we are already carrying out.”