DAILY MAIL
The police watchdog has slammed forces for failing to deal with dangerous child sex offenders, with some cases taking up to 18 months to make arrests.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) found that across the country, forces’ ineffective response often leaves youngsters vulnerable and allows offenders to escape justice.
In one shocking case, officers did nothing after being alerted to two videos showing a nine-year-old girl being raped by a 17-year-old. The offender was wrongly labelled ‘low risk’ and no investigation was carried out for 18 months until HMICFRS inspected the force in September 2020.
More than 30 other alleged sex offenders investigated by the same police force were also found to have been incorrectly categorised as ‘low risk’. Inadequate training was given as the explanation.
Another ‘very high-risk’ case saw no assessment carried out for four days after officers found one suspect was living with his 15-year-old sister. He was later bailed to the same address.
HMICFRS said there are often ‘unacceptable delays and missed opportunities’ in responding to allegations and concerns about suspects, and officers have ‘limited tools’ to understand risk.
Many officers ‘don’t always follow lines of inquiry to find out who the suspect is and whether they are approaching children’, it added.
In most forces, cases reported directly to police are dealt with by non-specialists…
