A Manchester social care worker has been arrested by police following an investigation into the sexual grooming of vulnerable youngsters by gangs of men.
The suspect who is known to be in his 40s is employed by Manchester City Council’s Children’s Social Care department.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have also confirmed the man has been suspended after his arrest on suspicion of sexual activity with a child when in a position of trust, and misconduct in a public office.
The arrest is part of the wide ongoing investigation after the publication in January of a damning report into how GMP handled child sexual exploitation of vulnerable girls by gangs operating “in plain sight” of police and city council officials.
This publication prompted GMP to relook at the way the Force had conducted itself, the Force made the decision to reinvestigate dozens of reports of grooming, after they issued a public apology and refer itself to police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
The report was written by the child care expert Malcolm Newsam and Gary Ridgeway, a former detective superintendent with Cambridgeshire Police, and concluded that authorities knew a group of vulnerable girls, many in care, were being abused but failed to protect them from the attackers, who were disproportionately men from Pakistani and Bangladeshi backgrounds.
The report also cited serious issues over race relations as a matter of concern for senior police when tackling grooming gangs.
Operation Augusta, a major police investigation into grooming gangs in Manchester, was dropped by police and council officials in 2005, however concerns over how officers had handled the problem prompted Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to launch a review in 2018.
This led to the launch of Operation Green Jacket, the GMP was now probing crimes they failed to investigate in the original Operation Augusta 15 years before and as a result of this at least 57 victims and 97 suspects have so far been identified.
Issues have also been raised considering many of the senior officers on Operation Augusta have since been promoted to the highest ranks in other police forces.
GMP says it now considers Operation Green Jacket is a “top priority”.
Assistant Chief Constable Mabs Hussain said: “This operation remains a top priority for GMP, with officers doing everything they can to provide victims of child sexual exploitation with appropriate support from specialist agencies and continuing to work to bring offenders to justice.
“The landscape of policing is undoubtedly challenging at the moment in light of the global pandemic. Operation Green Jacket has continued during this unprecedented period and remains very active, with a team of dedicated detectives within our Major Incident Team working alongside partners every day to identify and support victims.
“Whilst we have made an arrest, our investigation is continuing and I would encourage anyone affected by the case, requiring support or with information that could assist our investigation to get in touch via the dedicated email address.”
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Editor-in-Chief | Carl D. Pearson has been involved in British politics and media from an early age, with the key knowledge of what it takes to run a news organisation for the 21st century. Mr Pearson, as Editor-in-chief, is responsible for supervising the daily tasks of publishing media and content to UNN’s website and various platforms.
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