Telford child sex abuse inquiry: Abuse suspects disregarded over racism fears

The inquiry heard evidence there was a "nervousness" about race in Telford and Wellington

Police failed to properly target south Asian men over child sex crimes because it would have been "too politically incorrect", an inquiry heard.

An investigation into child sexual exploitation in Telford also heard officers "dropped the case like a hot potato" when complaints were made against these suspects.

Tuesday's report examined decades of sexual abuse in the Shropshire town.

West Mercia Police and Telford and Wrekin Council apologised for failings.

In his report, inquiry chair Tom Crowther QC said the majority of suspects of child sex crimes in Telford during the period he examined "were men of southern Asian heritage".

However evidence was repeatedly ignored by both the police and council, he said, with the police in particular nervous about areas seen as "Asian areas".

"A street was regarded as a no-go area for police which is obviously an appalling failure," he said, branding it "a dereliction of the police's most basic duty" to leave certain streets unpatrolled.

"That very street was reported in the local press in the late 90s as having a child prostitution problem and yet, a no-go area."

'Disastrous'

In one case highlighted in the report, inappropriate behaviour by a south Asian male towards a child was discussed at multi-agency meetings in the early 2000s but no action was taken, according to evidence given to the inquiry.

One witness said police appeared "frightened to question or challenge" because they "didn't want to have the finger pointed at them, saying they were being racist".

Operation Chalice, a far-reaching police investigation, saw seven men, mainly of Pakistani heritage, jailed in 2012 on charges including rape and trafficking.

At the time, police said as many as 100 girls may have been targeted by the gang.

The inquiry suggested a "disastrous" council decision in 2006 to suspend taxi licensing enforcement was also "borne entirely out of fear of accusations of racism".

These events happened while council safeguarding staff were aware of taxi drivers offering children free rides for sex, it added.

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West Mercia Police said the force now had teams dedicated to preventing and tackling child exploitation.

Telford and Wrekin Council said it was already carrying out many of the inquiry's recommendations.

Mr Crowther said it was important people across the country did not see Telford as an example of bad practices which did not exist elsewhere.

"My view is this problem is likely universal to a greater or lesser extent and anyone thinking it can't happen in my town is wrong," he said.