Our response to Channel 4 documentary 'Groomed'

Last night’s Channel 4 documentary ‘Groomed’ is a stark reminder of the shocking child sexual abuse that vulnerable young girls were subjected to in our towns and cities, and our clear failure to listen to victims and deal with the offenders.

Assistant Chief Constable Steph Parker is GMP lead for Vulnerability and Public Protection. She said: “We’ve fully accepted and apologised for the extent of our past failings in tackling this horrific abuse. We badly let down vulnerable young girls when they needed us the most.

“It is vital this never happens again. That’s why we have been committed to co-operating with all local inquiries and implementing the lessons from them. These are lessons which have long since been learnt, and are now very much established in our current practices in GM.

“This was recognised in December by HMICFRS who found us to be good and adequate in all areas of protecting children. This is the priority for the GMP of today.

“This includes our multi-agency teams that protect vulnerable young people and identify offenders across every town and city in GM, and how we work with hospitality to help them spot the signs of exploitation so that we act before children come to harm.

“Our specialist unit investigating non-recent CSE was launched in March 2021 and currently has 95 specialist staff working on investigations with survivors at a pace they are comfortable with when they are ready. These victim-centred investigations have resulted in 86 arrests and 71 years’ worth of convictions, with further suspects currently being put before the courts and one offender awaiting sentencing in May as part of Operation Green Jacket.

“No abuser is immune from justice and time is no barrier. The GMP of today is absolutely committed to ensuring victims are listened to and supported, regardless of who’s committed these offences and how long ago it occurred.

“The worst elements in society have always looked to exploit children and vulnerable people for their own criminal and sexual gain and, sadly, this does continue. However, our knowledge of this offending is lightyears ahead of where we were even a decade ago, meaning we can identify risks and tackle offending a lot more quickly and effectively – protecting victims and pursuing perpetrators.

“We are recognised as modern leaders in UK policing at protecting children, with our work around Operation Makesafe ensuring that we’re preventing young and vulnerable children from coming to harm. We have made big strides to build confidence with recent and non-recent survivors of sexual abuse, but we know we have some way to go.

“Across GM we arrested 3,000 suspected sex offenders in 2024 and we safeguarded thousands of vulnerable people. Our specialist officers and dedicated teams continue to work tirelessly across GM to keep children and young people safe and bring offenders to justice.”