Commissioner Wright commissions three major reviews into child sexual exploitation
Three major reviews into how agencies in South Yorkshire manage child sexual exploitation (CSE) offences past and present have been commissioned by the area’s Police and Crime Commissioner Shaun Wright.
Commissioner Wright has asked Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary to conduct a thorough review of the process and structures currently in place in South Yorkshire Police to investigate allegations of CSE.
Secondly, he has asked the Chief Constable to set up an additional team of detectives and other specialists to investigate allegations of historic child abuse in South Yorkshire.
And thirdly, he has asked the Chief Crown Prosecutor to conduct a similar review of all those historic cases in which the Crown Prosecution Service was involved in considering whether charges should be brought.
Commissioner Wright said: “There can be no greater priority for me than ensuring that the people who are most vulnerable in society are properly supported, cared for and protected from harm.
“I made this my priority in my manifesto when I was elected nine months ago and since that time I have invested millions of pounds into South Yorkshire Police and through grants to other organisations specifically to improve the service provided to victims of such crimes.
“Recent events, locally and nationally, have highlighted the sad reality that children were, and continue to be, exploited for the purposes of sexual gratification.
“I am determined to continue to do everything I can to stop such abuse from happening today, and to review historic cases which, for whatever reason, did not lead to a prosecution.
“I believe that the approach taken today by South Yorkshire Police in investigating allegations of CSE is vastly improved and bears little if any resemblance to the approach taken in the past. I am also aware of a number of on-going criminal investigations that will see a number of defendants in the dock charged with serious sexual crimes.
“But I want to be certain that the approach, the processes and the systems used by South Yorkshire are right and HMIC will be providing me with an independent perspective and one which considers whether we can learn from, and adopt best practice, from other police forces.
“I also want the Force, and the CPS, to undertake a thorough review of historic cases, in relation to those that were investigated, to understand why decisions were taken not to prosecute.”
Rotherham Politics 
Your right you could not make it up even a fiction writer would look at this plot and re-write it because they would feel it was too far fetched for anyone to believe. This whole sorry mess of child exploitation in Rotherham should lead not only to the deputy leader resigning but the whole of the council whose morals are despicable. Shaun Wright should call for these investigations to take place and he should be the first one to be investigated. The rest of the council, who are all culpable by their silence, should not only be cleared out of office but should be cleared out of the Labour Party. Milliband, our local MPs and the rest of the national leadership have remained deafeningly silent on this subject. Just picture the scenario had this been a Tory or Libdem council we would have been deafened by the clamour from Labour. This council and its party are morally bankrupt and have no right to hold office, they should go and go now.
Dave Smith
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Like others I will be assessing Shaun Wrights announcement and the likelihood that his proposals will give us a picture of the truth.
My first observations are to note that:
* There is nothing in the proposals to suggest a thorough examination of Social Services role; unless the Council are to make their own announcement later. This means that Shaun’s own historic role as Committee Chair will not be scrutinized – maybe lucky old Shaun. Then again the Council may act.
* While two of the proposed reviews are to be undertaken externally the other one is where he has “asked the Chief Constable to set up an additional team of detectives and other specialists to investigate allegations of historic child abuse in South Yorkshire” .On the face of it looks like an internal review. Something that most will find unsatisfactory, unless a clearly independent chair is selected, there is an opportunity for members of the public and victims to give evidence and there is a commitment to publish the findings.
* Of the other two reviews one one is about the present day and how things are now – Shaun having put in so much public conscience money in will expect a good reports here and seek some extra votes.
* The other is for reviews by the Crown Prosecution Service where
they “were involved in considering whether charges should be brought.” This isn’t clear in meaning as under their normal rules they are competent to review cases where the Police made the decision.
There are also a list of factors that have to be met before the CPS would normally review cases. The criteria can be found at http://goo.gl/jUIdT7
More technical assessment when I (or anyone else) has had a chance to undertake a more detailed evaluation.
A few extra points?
Given that four young women are planning to sue the SYP and Council, it is likely that much of the work proposed would have had to be undertaken anyway..
Will Shaun manage to avoid an investigation that includes his and other Councillors involvement in the decision making processes around the handling of grooming or child sexual?
When will these reviews be completed and will their existence be used to slow down the proposed legal action by the four young women?
One can guarantee that between now and Doomsday their existence will be used as an excuse for the SYP and the Police to say nothing.
Wil
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Reviews are political speak for kicking things into the long grass and spending millions on re marking your own homework.
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This is so typical of Shaun Wright he was well known as a councillor of getting council workers running around with lots of aimless work to do. All to do with him thinking he is important and further validated by getting everyone to run around for him.
This is a typical displacement activity which serves to make him look like the ‘good guy’ who is ‘making blue sky’ by looking as if he is sorting out the whole disgraceful mess of child rape which has been ignored for such a long time.
By doing this he is trying to remove himself from his past failings if responsibility and elevating himself on the side of justice.
What a creep!
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On the BBC North programme tonight Shaun Wright was asked if he had some responsibiltiy for what had happened to young girls whilst he was the Rotherham Councillor in charge of Children’s Services. His reply was that since being Commissioner he had stepped up to the mark and thrown millions of pounds at this issue. It’s what he did prior to being PCC that is the issue. He can not be allowed to evade responsibility for doing nothing when he was the Cabinet member for Children and Young People, he is culpable as are many others!
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Is the Rotherham show the ideal forum for a demonstration. Surely it’s a showpiece for RMBC. Would there not be a way of organizing a petition stand or even a protest march. Just a thought.
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good idea….
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Very good one
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Yes Malcontent, I saw the dithering Police Commissioner Shaun Wright interview this evening. It was excruciatingly embarassing.
His scared ‘rabbit eyes trapped in the headlights’ look spoke even more volumes about his ineptness and inability to do the job in hand that we already know.
His approach to ‘throw shed loads of money at anything that stands still long enough’ is the only way he knows. After an abyssmal and failed Ofsted inspection of RMBC Children’s Services (when he was the Cabinet chair / member), he commissioned consultants to carry out an external review even though Ofsted had in fact, carried out the most rigorous ‘ external review you could wish for ie Inspection.
The cost to carry out the ‘external review’ thanks to Shaun Wright was to the tune of nearly £200k! Guess what? It failed the next follow up Ofsted Inspection in an equally spectacular fashion.
Anyone with a modicum of intellect knows that an Ofsted inspection is thorough, detailed and provides a significant basis upon which improvements can be actioned, monitored and evaluated. You don’t need an outside firm to line their pockets to tell you what Ofsted had already told you.
Nor did it need £200k of our money throwing at it but that’s the only way Shaun Wright thinks and behaves ie ‘there is a problem so throw loads of our money at it because I say so’.
His interview this evening followed the same pattern but now he is throwing shed loads of our money under the South Yorkshire Police banner.
Shame on you Shaun Wright as we know where it will get you, absolutely nowhere. Possessing only a single brain cell has made you a public liability and huge risk to the child victims of rape.
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Could you make it up? Yes indeed. I have just watched an episode of Swedish cop show Arne Dahl and guess what? The subject was a paedophilia – a group of conscientious cops managed to close the case (without any fatalities to them), all the paedos were either killed or rounded up, the corrupt officials who had been protecting them also got their marching orders and the victims managed to flee the country with a bag full of illicit loot by way of compensation! It should be compulsory viewing for Local government officers and police forces. It may help a recovery of moral compasses…
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“I made this my priority in my manifesto when I was elected 9 months ago….”. This lying b******d refused to even answer any questions about his involvement in this cover-up during his election campaign. How dare he come up with such filthy lies now! It’s time this useless, incompetent, lying, thieving piece of excrement was removed from office now. Whilst ever he is in post, there can NEVER be an honest, independent enquiry into this matter, he has far too much power!
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