The Independent Police Behavior Office (IOPC) on Wednesday released what it described as a general report by Operation Linden, the name given to a series of investigations into how South Yorkshire police responded to complaints about child abuse and exploitation between 1997 and 2013. It is estimated that more than 1,400 children were sexually exploited in Rotherham during their 16 years. The report concludes that the force failed to protect vulnerable children. The IOPC conducted 91 investigations into police misconduct covering 265 separate allegations made by 51 complainants. A total of 47 officers were investigated, with the IOPC concluding that eight had to be held accountable for a misdemeanor and six for a serious misdemeanor. No officer lost his job as a result of the process and the most severe sanction was a written warning. South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Billings said “a lot of time and money has been spent on a few new findings or accountability.” He added: “I am disappointed that after eight years of costly investigations, this report fails to make significant recommendations beyond those that South Yorkshire police have already accepted and implemented from previous investigations a few years ago. “It reiterates what previous reports and reviews have shown – that it was an unacceptable practice between 1997 and 2013 – but fails to identify any individual responsibility. As a result, it disappoints victims and survivors. “ Operation Linden was, IOPC said, “one of our largest, most complex investigations” to date, second only to its Hillsborough Failure Investigation – also the South Yorkshire Police. The new report describes in gloomy, “uncomfortable reading” in detail the repeated failures of the police in handling complaints in Rotherham. He found that police officers were repeatedly unaware or unable to deal with offenses of sexual abuse and child exploitation. Officers have repeatedly lacked empathy, with some believing that children “consent” to their exploitation. A parent worried about a missing daughter said an officer told him “it was a ‘fashion accessory’ for the girls in Rotherham to have an ‘older friend from Asia’ and that he would get out of it”. Another parent told an officer investigating the rape of his 15-year-old daughter in a Rotherham park that the incident would teach the child a “lesson”. Steve Noonan, director of major research at the IOPC, acknowledged that survivors would be disappointed with the results against individual officers. But he said his team quickly realized they were investigating systemic failures. The investigation was estimated to cost 6 6 million, he said, adding: “We can not put a price on making major changes to the system. The survivors told us they did not want this to happen to anyone again and the changes that have been made and must be made… we believe will bring about real change. “This is to ensure that we protect those who are most vulnerable. We take care of them and support them and we do not criminalize them “. Several recommendations were made by the IOPC last year, and the report said it was encouraged by the response from South Yorkshire police, believing it had demonstrated “its commitment to action so that the issues in this report can never be repeated.” David Greenwood, a lawyer representing 80 Rotherham survivors, said the report showed “how the police reporting system has zero responsibility and needs reform”. South Yorkshire Police Deputy Chief of Police Tim Forber said the force accepted the IOPC findings, which closely reflect those highlighted by Professor Alexis Jay in 2014. The Jay report revealed shocking political and police weaknesses. . Forber said that for the police, “it brought a dark reality to our failures in handling child sexual exploitation. We disappointed the victims. We have not been able to acknowledge their vulnerability and we have not considered them victims, so I am deeply sorry. They deserved better than us. “The brave narratives of these girls caused a seismic shift in police crimes of this nature for the South Yorkshire Police and the wider police service.” Forber said much had changed in power. “While I’m sure we are a very different force today, I will not forget the fact that we made a mistake and disappointed the victims.”
