The report found that there were many missed opportunities to prevent the abuse that has been going on since 2005, including offenses committed by a council welfare officer who was later convicted of 30 rapes. The review also suggested that senior police officers and council officials may have misled members of the Committees on Home Affairs when they denied wrongdoing in connection with the “deep sexual exploitation” of a 12-year-old girl in 2005. He criticized the “less than honest” approach of the Manchester police to MPs in 2019 and said that the response of both services to the victim’s concerns in recent years “feeds the view” that “they are more concerned about covering up their failures than about the recognition of the damage that had been done to a vulnerable young person “. The review, commissioned by the Oldham Council in 2019, is the most recent to examine child sexual exploitation in English cities following similar condemnation reports of Rotherham, Oxford, Telford and Rothdale. The authors, Child Protection Specialist Malcolm Newsam and former Senior Police Officer Gary Ridgway, found that there was no evidence that Oldham’s council sought to cover up child sexual exploitation or to avoid the issue of the abuse of vulnerable white girls in particular. by men Pakistani heritage. However, he concluded that there were “historical weaknesses” and that “some children had failed services that were intended to protect them because child protection procedures had not been properly followed”. Bev Hughes, the deputy mayor of Greater Manchester, said the report “shed light on the horrific abuse of children who needed help and protection”. He said: “I know the apology will not erase the suffering of the victims, but it is true that the Oldham City Council and the GMP acknowledged what went wrong and apologized for it.” Greater Manchester Police Chief (GMP) Steven Watson said the force’s actions were “very successful” in providing the help the victims deserved and apologized to those affected. He added: “I do not offer any excuses, but I can assure you that our approach to dealing with child exploitation has significantly improved and is now a priority for policing.” Amanda Chadderton, leader of the Oldham Council, said the report highlighted “clear weaknesses” that the authority fully acknowledged.
