Below is the latest Home Office response.......be interesting to see what they leave out!
( the petition now exceeds 126,000 ).
'Home Office
Catherine McKinnell MP
Chair of the Petitions Committee House of Commons
London
SW1A0AA
11 May 2020
Thank you for your letter of 5 May 2020 requesting a revised response to e-petition 300239 calling
on the Government to release the Home Office's Grooming Gang Review in full.
The petition rightly reflects strong public concern about the abhorrent issue of group-based child sexual exploitation, and members of the public who signed the petition are right to expect a clear response. My officials have been working through the implications of publishing the findings of our work in this area. As set out in our initial response to the petition, it contains information that is operationally sensitive to specific criminal cases, as well as personal information relating to the victims of these devastating crimes. I strongly believe, however, that insights gained through this work are of wider value, particularly to agencies tasked with safeguarding vulnerable children, so that they can inform both national and local efforts to tackle offending. To that end we will publish the paper on group-based child sexual exploitation this year. The paper will set out our findings and set the direction for future policy and research, whilst remaining sensitive to the need to protect the integrity of law enforcement operations.
I am determined to deliver justice for victims and ensure something like this can never happen again. I am hopeful this revised response addresses your concerns and provides reassurance that we will do all we can to end this horrific crime.
Home Secretary
2 Marsham Street, London SW1 P 4DF
www.gov.uk/home-office
Rt Hon Priti Patel MP
� Ci.fl.A-,�
Petition response
Summary quote
Government intends to publish a paper on group-based child sexual exploitation this year, which will set out key findings of the Home Office’s work in this area and implications for policy.
Main body
Child sexual exploitation perpetrated by groups is a truly horrendous crime that shatters the lives of victims and their families. We have heard of truly shocking cases of vulnerable children being preyed upon by ruthless predators and failed by the state and those whose job it was to protect them.
These unthinkable crimes have had devastating impacts on towns and communities – leaving lasting scars that go beyond the direct victims, particularly where it has gone on for years.
This must never be allowed to happen again. This Government has made it our mission to protect the most vulnerable in our society, stamp out all forms of child sexual abuse offending, and support victims and survivors to rebuild their lives.
The Government will publish a paper into group-based child sexual exploitation in order to better understand the characteristics of group-based offending and help deliver justice for victims.
The paper, to be published later this year, will outline the insights gained from this work and focus on how agencies can learn lessons from the past to tackle group-based offending and safeguard vulnerable children.
The Home Office will set up an External Reference Group of experts to review the research before its publication.
The work was commissioned by the previous Home Secretary to better understand the scale and nature of group-based child sexual exploitation, including the characteristics of offenders, victims and the context in which these crimes are committed.
Last September, the Government announced an additional £30 million to take down the worst offenders and safeguard victims.
The Home Office will shortly publish the first of its kind cross-government Child Sexual Abuse Strategy to improve the UK’s response to tackling this abhorrent crime.
It will set out how we will work across all agencies – including government, law enforcement, safeguarding and industry – to stop offenders in their tracks, and to help victims and survivors rebuild their lives.
