Cleveland Police Criticized for Failing to Address Child Abuse and Exploitation Risks

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Cleveland Police has been deemed “inadequate” in its handling of child sexual exploitation and abuse, according to a damning report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS). The report highlights persistent shortcomings, including a failure to fully understand the connection between missing children and child exploitation, despite the area’s history with grooming gang scandals.  

 

In 2014, Teesside Crown Court sentenced three men from Middlesbrough—Shakil Munir, Ateeq Latif, and Sakib Ahmed—for grooming and abusing seven local girls, some as young as 14. The men lured the victims with offers of takeaway food, free lifts, and drugs. Munir and Ahmed received eight-year prison sentences, while Latif, who was 17 at the time, was sentenced to three years in a young offenders' institution.  

 

More than a decade later, the HMICFRS report reveals that Cleveland Police is still not adequately addressing the risks facing vulnerable children and young people. The force was graded “inadequate” in both “responding to children at risk of harm” and “investigating child abuse, neglect, and exploitation.”  

 

The report pointed out critical staffing shortages within Cleveland Police’s complex exploitation team, which has 11 officers instead of the recommended 22. Additionally, inspectors criticized the force for failing to collect data on the ethnicity of targeted children, limiting their ability to assess risks tied to cultural heritage.  

 

Michelle Skeer, the Inspector of Constabulary, stated, “The force doesn’t consistently recognize the risks posed to missing children. Nor does it respond to them effectively.” She further noted that while training efforts have been made, they have not resulted in significant improvements for children at risk.  

 

The report underscored specific failings in Cleveland Police’s response to cases, such as an incident involving a 15-year-old girl who went missing from a care home. The case was classified as “medium risk,” and it took officers over five hours to respond. During this time, there was little investigative activity. When the girl was eventually located and interviewed, officers displayed a lack of “professional curiosity” about whether she had been exposed to harm while staying at her boyfriend’s house.  

 

Inspectors also identified the use of victim-blaming language in case reviews, with phrases such as “child does not understand her behavior” and “engages in behavior that is highly risky.” This approach, they said, reflected a broader failure by the force to properly assess and respond to risk.  

The findings have fueled growing calls for a public inquiry into how police, councils, and other public bodies allowed widespread abuse of thousands of girls across the country.  

 

Asst Chief Constable Richard Baker acknowledged the challenges posed by high levels of social deprivation in the Cleveland area but reaffirmed the force’s commitment to improving child protection. “I am committed to ensuring the force strives to ensure a high standard of service is provided and the improvements that have already been put in place are sustained and continue to be monitored,” he said. Baker added, “The protection of children across Teesside will continue to be a key priority for Cleveland Police, and I am determined that, together with our partners, we will keep working hard so those who are most vulnerable receive the service they deserve.”  

 

The report serves as a stark reminder that significant reforms are needed to ensure the safety and protection of vulnerable children in Cleveland and beyond.

 

Based on a report by Daily Telegraph 2024-01-17

 

 

[Justanotherone]

it's a cultural thing, you don't understand, kind of excuse, you racist

[Smokey and the Bandit]

Sadly this is only the tip of the iceberg!

[JonnyF]

Disgusting.

 

Too scared to offend Muslims or be called Racist/Islamaphobic. Much easier to turn a blind eye to the rape of children. 

[ignore it]

[Thingamabob]

The police failed to do their duty in Cleveland because they were told by their senior officers not to offend local Muslims. This is indicative of the direction in which towns all over Britain are heading. Lord help us.

[Yagoda]

21 minutes ago, ignore it said:

Wrong Cleveland. The cops in Cleveland, Ohio have quite a reputation of being hard