Shaun the Sheep, aka the man who put the plod in plodding has gone to the media with an amazingly critical assessment of the South Yorkshire Police Force. You can either read today’s Yorkshire Post (http://goo.gl/e5xTDf) or accept my paraphrasing of his comments as being:
‘Despite my giving them loads of dosh SYP are rubbish. ‘
This kind of comment by someone of his seniority is unusual as one can imagine the impact on his relationship with police officers, morale within the force & public confidence.
You simply don’t do this unless feeling that you’re in the last chance saloon. It is a desperate act.
So I was wondering why? And I remembered the dreadful 2009 Ofsted report, how Shaun left his post a few weeks before its publication and left his replacement to carry the can. And how most don’t realise that investigative reports in the public sector are normally presented to the organisation a few weeks before they go public, when Shaun deserted the sinking ship he probably had advance notification that the Ofsted report was dreadful.
So I have some predictions:
1. The HMIC review of the SYP processes & structures currently in place to investigate Child Sex Exploitation is due out any day now & will be critical. Saying they are well behind best practice.
2. The Sheep has already started the process of distancing himself from the Chief Constable with today’s media coverage.
3. Given that this time he can’t pass the buck on to another Councillor he will seeking a scape goat instead. This may well be the Chief Constable.
4. Look for tremendous tension as war breaks out between senior Police officers & Shaun as he fights to hang on to his £80,000 sinecure.
5. Expect this shower to still be leaving vulnerable children unprotected.
All this is also interesting for the electorate and the Council’s position that child protection services have been great since 2009. They have a responsibility for child care wherein it isn’t good enough to just say “we trusted the Police.” They have the resources & the responsibility to take the Police to task & fight for a better service.
Instead all we have heard from them are statements of support for SYP.
Watch this space.
Wil
Rotherham Politics 
From Chris Longley MBE
People in glass houses should never throw stones.
This is a note about the current position on the release of documents under the Freedom of Information Act.
I now have all the Rotherham Child Safeguarding Board Agendas, Minutes and Reports about Child abuse, trafficking and rape that cover the period 2005/6 to 2009/2010.
I now have the current circulation listing for these papers, and it includes the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People.
I now have all the papers submitted to the Rotherham Cabinet Member for Children and Young People (the title varies) over the same period of time, 2005/6 to 2009/2010.
I also have – as I have reported previously – the details of the special responsibility payments made to the then Rotherham MDC Councillor Shaun Wright who held the post of Cabinet Member for Children and Young People between 2005/6 and 2009/2010.
I am examining these papers in detail and I am preparing the timeline of what was known, when it was known and by whom it was known.
I am sure this will strengthen the case – overwhelming as it already is – for a fully independent Judicial Inquiry into the systemic abuse, trafficking and rape of children that went virtually unchallenged in Rotherham between 2005/6 and 2009/2010.
Kind regards to all
Chris
Chris Longley MBE
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Keep up the good work Chris and God bless you for doing it.
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Dear Chris,
Could you arrange for all those documents to be made available online ?
Have you been on the internet and seen the stuff on sonia sharp ?
Have you identified all those who are associated with Common Purpose ?
Why can’t sheffred give his real name – what does he have to hide ?
Another prediction : – the PCC will be a political gatekeeper to ensure that all blame will never fall upon his political party, and its no use scapegoating the current Chief Constable, the blame lies with his two predecessors..
I look forward to reading your report.
patrizia
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From Chris LOngley MBE
Dear Patrizia
All the documents I have received are hard copies: none of them are electronic. I do not have a scanner, so it would be quite difficult for me to make them available on line at the moment.
However, one of the people with whom I am working does have a scanner. So I am hoping that they will be able to produce electronic versions. Once this is done I will of course make them available electronically.
Another of the people with whom I am working is assembling – from press amd media information – a timeline record of what was happening to the girls whose cases have been reported in the public domain.
Once this is complete, we will combine this stream of information from the public domain with the “who knew what, when they knew it and what did they do?” stream of information that is coming out of the Agendas, Minutes and Reports released under the Freedom of Information Act by Rotherham MDC.
At that point we will be able to see what happened and what did not happen between 2005/6 and 2009/10.
I hope this helps
Kind regards and many thanks to all who are supporting me
Chris
Chris Longley MBE
PS On a related matter: I have every reason to believe that the present Chief Constable is determined to change the entire nature, culture and scale of the South Yorkshire Police’s interventions in matters of systemic child trafficking, rape and sexual abuse.
When I wrote to rhe Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee about these awful matters back in 2012 I was at pains to suggest that if the Committee ever interviewed Councillor Wright (something that has still not happened as we approach the anniversary of Ex Councillor Wrights’ first year in office) they should not interview Chief Constable Crompton in the same session.
I do not believe it is reasonable or appropriate for Ex Councillor Wright to have the chance to use the decent post 2011 activities of a new Chief Constable determined on justice to divert attention from that which preceded the new Chief Constable’s time in office.
Chief Constable Crompton can have no possible responsibility for what happened in Rotherham between 2005/6 and 2009/10.
All the best to everybody.
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Thanks for that Wil, just confirms you haven’t got a clue what you’re talking about and that you obviously have an issue with the PCC in general and personally! Why not suggest a solution as opposed to dishing criticism, or is that too hard for a pea size brain? Who gave you the name The sheep, or did you manage to figure that out yourself??
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Commissioner Shaun Wright’s actual statement is here:
http://www.southyorkshire-pcc.gov.uk/News-and-Events/News-Archive/2013/Commissioner-says-force-must-do-more-and-do-it-faster.aspx
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Sheff red, why should Wil offer solutions? I thought that was the job of Wright, oh I remember the last important role that he held. You are correct, any advice, solutions to his problems, anything to help him do his job efficiently and correctly would help all of us in S Yorks based upon past experience of Mr Wright’s competence. Since your name suggests you reside in Sheffield, try and understand the shame and distress some Labour members left us with in Rotherham!
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Hi Sheffred. It would be really interesting if you gave us your take on the PCC’s comments, the current performance of SYP in fighting Child Sex Abuse/Grooming/Rape & Shaun’s performance to date.
It’s a quiet Sunday, lets have one of those rare things in Rotherham… a political debate.
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To be honest, there is no point in giving my opinion, or having a ‘debate’ as I have no personal vendetta against the PCC, which it is quite obvious most of the people who comment on this site have! As far as I have seen, SYP have been given the resources to be able to perform better than they currently are, is it not the PCCs job to – Police the Police?? If they are not performing to the required standard and as long as they have been given the resource, which Mr Wright quite clearly has done, in fact, he looks to have given them more than he probably should have, then the person ultimately responsible for that performance should be held accountable, isn’t that the Chief Constable?? I don’t see many people mentioning his £150k salary, yet everyone seems obsessed with the PCCs salary.
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1. There is no personal vendetta. Most people in Rotherham cannot believe that a man who took a children’s service rated as good to the depths that it plummeted to under his leadership, (see OSTED report, Home Affairs Select Cmttee report) can now be in such an important role.
2. He has a track record of throwing money at problems with no real effective outcomes, again I refer you to his previous role in RMBC children’s services.
3. We have heard nothing but great reports about SYP’s performance re CSE since 2010. It has been RMBC mantra since the scandal broke nationally. Why criticise now? Have the council been misleading us in Rotherham?
4. It is easy to say, I gave them the resources but they failed. Mr. Wright is responsible for how the South Yorkshire Police Service is funded and what its priorities are and he is ultimately answerable for any failures. Again, this echoes the excuses that we have had to endure in Rotherham. It wasn’t me who failed in my responsibility, it was……take your pick of scapegoats!
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Pingback: Yorkshire Post – Political Censorship? | Rotherham Politics
Someone asked Chris Longley earlier in the thread if he’d identified all those connected with Common Purpose. Here’s one from Eureka and RMBC that may have slipped under the radar.
Jane Glaister OBE former trustee of the Eureka museum in wakefield from 2004-2008, was a declared Common Purpose advisor from 2004-2010. I can say this as Jane is open enough to put her Common Purpose credentials on her publically available LinkedIn account. Not forgetting her time as Head of Service/Strategic Leader Culture & Lifelong Learning at RMBC from 1996-2001.
Weirdly, Eureka has other more current connections to Common Purpose through the National Children’s Bureau, including a senior Regional Director Celine McStravick, who again kindly makes this information public knowledge on LinkedIn. Mapit has a host of NCB trainers specialising in vulnerable childrens’ services, including Gillian Anderson. (No, not THAT Gillian Anderson lol.)
So just get online, Common Purpose graduates tend to give themselves away. Maybe the LinkedIn Profile page is the modern equivalent of the Masonic handshake!
But please, don’t assume that being a Common Purpose graduate make you a bad person or in some way secretive (for want of a better word). Just because some CP graduates are almost criminally incompetent (Lin Homer, Joyce Thwacker to give two examples), it doesn’t mean they all are. 🙂
(PS: Funnily enough the NCB has links to not-for-profits such as Achievement For All, who have been involved with Rotherham schools for some time, and their trainers such as Martin Fittes who used to be the Assistant Head of School Effectiveness for RMBC (2005-2012). I don’t want anyone to infer any wrong-doing or Common Purpose links there, just thought it interesting to look at how the unaccountable n-f-p’s have access to the most vulnerable children and their families. You don’t vote for the Achievement Coach/Education Consultant Mr Fittes… And perhaps we should, since his professional qualification appears to be a PGCE in 1983. [His LinkedIn account in case you wondered.] However, I’m sure that during his time at RMBC, he attended many courses which have proven useful to his current career… As a consultant for RMBC.)
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The “someone” who asked Chris Longley about Common Purpose was the same someone who confused this blog with the Yorkshire Post – alleging press censorship, linked press censorship to Hacked-Off and then onto Common Purpose. 🙂
Cockup not Conspiracy?
(The Vice-chair of the Board of Media Standards Trust is CEO of Common Purpose.
Hacked-Off was originally set up by Media Standards Trust but is now an independent organisation.) .
I have a lot of respect for Chris Longley and his approach to his investigation, and I rather hope he doesn’t get side-tracked into a hunt for Common Purpose graduates on LinkedIn.
Warren, I had thought that it would be impossible to get a Post-graduate Certificate in Education without getting a Bachelor degree first, it’s just meaningless, and they wouldn’t let you on the course.
When I looked at Mr Fittes entry on LinkedIn (and thanks for not providing the linky) I found:
The University of Sheffield
PGCE, Geography and teacher education
1982 – 1983
Banbury School
BSc, Geography
1975 – 1978
__________
So all the poor guy had done was put his BSc under the name of his school.
Cockup not Conspiracy?
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Reg, I couldn’t agree more with ‘hope he doesn’t get side-tracked’. My post was purely for the benefit of the confused commenter. If that poster wants a Common Purpose reply, I’m happy to provide one (even if it is a bit rubbish lol) so that Chris can get on with the far more important work that he’s doing. And I hope they found it ‘interesting’. 😉
Chris is that rare thing – a commited individual. Rare and dangerous. There are groups and individuals out there who would seek any way to sidetrack and deflect him in an effort to hamper his progress in his investigation. More important to them perhaps is learning what he knows before he publishes it in order to start preparing their defence. Chris has set out his aims admirably below. And I’m happy to be the ‘tin foil hat wearer’ so that he and others like him can investigate the cock-ups (and possible cover-ups) in relative peace. 🙂
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Sorry, just re-read above and I’ve not been clear enough. I don’t want to imply any CP connection for Martin Fittes, but his consultancy partner/fellow consultant at Achievement For All – the previously mentioned Gillian Anderson – IS CP. She completed the Matrix course on Wearside in 2003-4 while she was working for Sunderland council.
(Oh gosh, I hope I don’t get visited by hooded figures now for revealing dark secrets. Arrrgghh, it’s Eyes Wide Shut! :-O Only kidding, it’s all available for anyone to see.)
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My article’s success or failure depends on my interpretation of why Shaun criticised the Police at that moment. Specifically that he is trying to take attention from his own shortcomings when an inquiry that he claims to have instigated fails to give SYP a clean bill of health.
On that matter I will either be proven right or wrong. Then my brain size can be judged.
Be assured, if given a positive assessment by the inquiry Shaun would be determined to get the credit and those articles would have gone unwritten . That is politics.
On reading Shaun ‘s Police critique my first reaction was why didn’t you have the Inquiry before shelling out the extra dosh? That way it could have been better focused.
The reason is probably that he wanted to turn around his image as uncaring & incompetent, as suggested by the Parliamentary Inquiry, as soon as possible. Like much of Shaun it was gesture politics.
Sheffred ‘s concerns about Shaun being referred to as the Sheep is really a bit sad. It smells of the position taken by many Rotherham Labour glitterati. Don’t dare criticise or make fun of us.
There is a long and honourable history of political punditry using nicknames to find humour in politicians, who let’s face it, most of us find a bit pompous. The Rotherham LP really takes itself too seriously.
Lastly Sheffred, you come out with the usual blubbering school playground whimper of “I’m not speaking to Rothpol because it doesn’t like me’.
I’ll explain why the Rotherham LP gets my wroth & I suspect many others.
It is because you have destroyed all concepts of openness and democratic engagement with your electorate. You have abused a massive majority given to you because of historic good will, fear of the Tories & hope for what the Labour Party could be.
You hide the real debates behind closed doors in Group & Leader’s Cabinet, applying a practice of political whipping that means even LP members daren’t speak publicly on important things.
Your claims to be Socialists reside in criticism of others, while your own lack of internal openness, reliance on the biraderi, misogyny & selection a deputy leader with record of violence makes you the antithesis of a democratic Socialist organisation.
Ironically Rotherham LP could swamp Rothpol with comments & articles that are positive about themselves. There is almost no editing save for libel & obscenity.
But you can’t join in because for some reason LP group daren’t get involved in open political debate.
Has it never struck you that it is the secrecy within the LP that feeds Rothpol? That when you tell people nothing, human nature is to fill in the gaps. That, when you are silent people think it may be because you’re afraid of the truth?
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From Chris Longley MBE
Dear Rothpol and Rothpol readers and bloggers
There have been various speculations recently about different affiliations etc and I want to make my position clear.
ABOUT EX COUNCILLOR SHAUN WRIGHT
My interest in the systematic Rotherham child rape, trafficking and sexual abuse cases is solely because Ex Councillor Wright.
This is because he refused during his campaign to become Police and Crime Commissioner (and still refuses to this day) to answer any questions put to him about his actions to stop these crimes of evil during the half a decade he was paid to be the Cabinet Member for Children in Rotherham. That some of the crimes were committed against children in the care of his Local Authority merely deepens the mystery.
I take the view that the silence from Ex Councillor Wright remains ominous.
It is ominous because in my opinion if there was any creative, active or positive story to tell about his actions to stop these evil crimes against children it is difficult to understand why he would not have told it already and in a blaze of publicity.
Ex Councillor Wright’s avoidance of giving oral evidence before the Home Affairs Select Committee – where he would have been challenged about his evidence by senior Elected Members of all political persuasions – simply adds to the sense of unease about his continuing silence.
OTHER RMBC ELECTED MEMBERS AND PAID RMBC LOCAL AUTHORITY OFFICERS
I am not interested in them.
I am not interested in what they knew, when they knew it and what they either did or recommended to be done. Theirs is not the responsibility for leadership in these matters during the half a decade that encompasses Ex Councillor Wrights’ term in office as Cabinet Member for Children. Theirs was and remains a duty to advise, to recommend and then to deliver the actions that their elected member masters dictate. In this case that was Ex Councillor Wright.
So if information on these matters about other elected members and paid local authority officers does emerge from the work I am doing as I write, that information will be incidental. If it turns out that information about other elected members and paid local authority officers may be of interest to the Police or to the Crown Prosecution Service that too will be incidental, although I will provide it immediately to those bodies.
It follows that I am not interested either in which individuals may or may not be members of any given organisations.
IN SUMMARY
I simply want the full story of what Ex Councillor Shaun Wright knew, when he knew it and what he instructed to be done on the basis of his knowledge about systematic Rotherham child rape, trafficking and sexual abuse during the half a decade when he was paid to discharge the duty of care of its children that Rotherham so badly failed to honour.
I hope this makes my position in these matters clear.
Kind regards
Chris
Chris Longley MBE
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