Met Police to review 9,000 cases of child sexual exploitation

A review of 9,000 child sexual exploitation cases is to be undertaken by the Metropolitan Police.

The cases, covering a 15-year period, will be examined by the force following Baroness Louise Casey’s review looking at the scale of grooming gangs across the country.

In a statement, the force said “many” of the approximately 9,000 cases did not fit the common understanding of grooming gang offending.

These include cases within families, peer-on-peer abuse and exploitation within institutional settings.

A Met Police spokesperson said: “Any sexual offending against children is abhorrent but group-based offending, often characterised as ‘grooming gangs’, is particularly insidious and devastating in its profound impact on the children affected.

“The Met takes all allegations or concerns about child sexual exploitation and child criminal exploitation incredibly seriously and always investigates, following the evidence without fear or favour.”

They said there had been “significant improvements” to how the force identifies and investigates group-based offending since 2022.

These include training for 11,000 frontline officers and an expansion of child exploitation teams.

In the past year, the Met said it had solved three times more cases of child sexual exploitation and charged 134 more suspects.

The spokesperson added: “As part of the national reinvestigation into group-based child sexual exploitation recommended by Baroness Casey, we are currently undertaking a review of approximately 9,000 cases covering a 15-year period.

“In line with the IICSA definition, these include many cases of such as intra-familial, peer-on-peer and in institutional settings, along with those which do not fit the common understanding of a ‘grooming gang’.

“Our commitment to safeguarding all victims of such terrible offences and bringing those responsible to justice is absolute.”