Rochdale abuse victim blames police for abuse failings
One of the victims insists some of the abusers are still walking the streets of Rochdale and blames police for continued failings.
Rochdale pub named 'best boozer'
A Rochdale pub described as a "traditional boozer" by its owner, which used to be a hardware store has been named the best in Britain.
Young boys 'were victims of abuse' by Sir Cyril Smith
Police say they are "now publicly acknowledging that young boys were victims of physical and sexual abuse committed by Sir Cyril Smith".
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Woman who died after fall was involved in rape case
A woman who died following a fall from the roof of a car park in Rochdale earlier today, had been the complainant in a rape case, it has emerged.
The man accused of raping her was acquitted following a trial last Friday.
An investigation has been launched to establish the circumstances surrounding her death.
Greater Manchester Police said the matter has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
GMP: 'Terribly sad end' to a long and difficult case
I would firstly like to offer my condolences to the family of the woman who has sadly died. Our thoughts are with the family at what is clearly a traumatic time for them and we will be offering them as much support and welfare as they need over the coming days and weeks.
The woman had been a complainant in a case that recently concluded at court, and throughout that process specially-trained officers from Greater Manchester Police had been providing her with regular support and advice.
This is a terribly sad end to what has been a long and difficult case.
– Assistant Chief Constable Dawn CopleyA full investigation will be carried out to establish the circumstances leading up to this woman's death and it is important, especially for the woman's family, that we do not speculate about what may have happened until all the facts are known.
Read: Woman falls to her death after defendant cleared in trial
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Woman was 'distressed' after defendant's acquittal
A woman who has died after falling off the roof of a shopping centre car park had been "distressed" after a defendant in a court case in which she was the complainant was acquitted.
Greater Manchester Police said two specially-trained officers had been in regular contact with the woman and made a personal visit to her home to inform her of the verdict last Friday.
A statement said she had been "angry and upset" at the news and was offered support. Later that evening, she rang police in a "distressed state" and officers and ambulance staff attended her home.
A subsequent referral to partner agencies to help support the woman was made.
The matter has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission and a full investigation will be launched to establish the circumstances surrounding her death, police said.
Read: Woman falls to her death after defendant cleared in trial
Woman in fatal fall after defendant cleared in trial
A woman has fallen to her death from a Rochdale shopping centre car park roof just days after a defendant had been acquitted in a trial in which she had been the complainant.
Police were called today to the Wheatsheaf Shopping Centre after reports of a woman on the roof at 10.10am, but despite attempts to help her, she was later seen to fall.
She was taken to hospital but died as a result of her injuries.
The trial had concluded on Friday.
Greater Manchester Police has launched an investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding her death.
The matter has also been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
Govt: Rochdale abuse report 'does not meet standards'
A Department for Education spokesperson said:
This Serious Case Review, which has been heavily redacted, does not meet the standards of transparency and sharp analysis which we now expect and which best allows lessons to be learnt.
We understand there are particular legal constraints which have resulted in the heavy redactions.
We have consequently agreed with Rochdale LSCB that we will commission, early in the New Year, an examination of the evidence assembled by the SCR to explore whether an un-redacted document can be put into the public domain with a sharp and coherent analysis of what happened in this complex case and why.
Rochdale MP: Police snobbery allowed gangs to flourish
Class snobbery by police against young girls from council estates allowed the Asian sex grooming gangs to flourish, the local MP has said.
Simon Danczuk, the Labour MP for Rochdale, said officers' attitudes to victims' backgrounds was one of a catalogue of failings by Greater Manchester Police and other agencies in their handling of the scandal, highlighted in the Serious Case Review published today.
This highlights exactly the concern I raised earlier this year when I said there needed to be a change of culture within GMP in tackling child abuse.
I have also said judgments were made against young people on council estates because of their background and class, and this report confirms this.
– Simon Danczuk MP for RochdaleThe approach has been completely wrong. Senior police officers keep talking about deploying more resources, but they're sending out untrained officers who cannot win the trust of victims.
We need better leadership on this issue.It worries me that the report shows there is evidence of a focus on performance targets, which has meant that child sexual exploitation is not a police priority.
This crime has done a huge amount of damage to our town and the police have to give it more attention.
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Review: 'Young people could have been protected'
The report commissioned by Rochdale Borough Safeguarding Children Board (RBSCB) added:
Given the highly organised, determined and manipulative behaviour of the perpetrators, it would be unrealistic to imagine that their behaviour could have been predicted and that all harm to all the young people they abused could have been prevented.
However, had the sexual exploitation been recognised and responded to at the earliest stages, these young people may have been protected from repeat victimisation and other young people may also have been protected from becoming victims.
'Significant part' of abuse should have been prevented
A "significant part" of the sexual exploitation committed against young girls in Rochdale should have been predicted and prevented, a serious case review has found.
Five of six victims on whom the report focused were "clearly in need of early help and at times intervention" by safeguarding agencies for several years before they were abused.
But there was no properly co-ordinated package of support and assessment which recognised such risks as neglect, domestic violence, parental health problems and substance misuse.
Abuse victim: Police 'are still not doing their job'
One of the victims of the abuse in Rochdale has spoken about her disappointment that she was ignored by police when she complained that a man had exposed himself to her in 2005 and that men who were a part of the abuse were still free.
The anonymous victim told ITV News that some of the men who abused her were still free and walking the streets of Rochdale: "the police just need to go do their job proper (sic). They weren't doing it in 2005 and they still aren't doing it now."
Rochdale report identifies repeated 'poor practices'
A major report into child sex sexual exploitation in Rochdale identified a repeating theme of factors that it says impacted on the quality of practice in particular including:
- Policy and procedures either not available or poorly understood and implemented at the front line
- Absence of high quality supervision, challenge and line management oversight
- Resource pressures and high workload in key agencies, including CSC safeguarding teams, A&E, Police, contributing to disorganisation and at times a sense of helplessness
- Policies, culture and attitudes within many agencies which were actively unhelpful when working with adolescents
- Performance frameworks focussed on quantitative practice not on quality of practice or understanding the child's journey through services and outcomes
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