Greater Manchester Police sets up child sex abuse unit

Deputy Chief Constable Mabs Hussain says the dedicated unit was a "significant step" to tackle the "abhorrent crime"

A new unit dedicated to investigating child sexual exploitation has been set up by Greater Manchester Police (GMP).

The force has been criticised in the past for its handling of cases of child sex abuse, including the Rochdale grooming case.

Deputy Chief Constable Mabs Hussain said GMP would "learn lessons from the past" and the new unit would "enhance" work already being done.

GMP was "a different force from 15 years ago", he added.

Mr Hussain said the force had prosecuted 85 people for child sexual exploitation offences in the last year.

A damning report, published in January 2020, which focussed on the 2003 death of 15-year-old Victoria Agoglia, criticised the way authorities handled cases and GMP later admitted "authorities fell short".

The independent review was commissioned by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham as a result of the 2017 BBC documentary The Betrayed Girls on the victims of the Rochdale grooming gang.

The new unit, including more than 50 officers and staff, will operate like two major incident teams and investigate the most serious cases, the force said.

It will work alongside 10 district safeguarding teams.

Mr Hussain said GMP was dedicated to tackling the "abhorrent crime", supporting victims and "bringing those responsible for abusing them to justice".

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