The Metropolitan Police is currently investigating tens of cases involving grooming gangs, Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has confirmed to City Hall. This significant admission marks a shift from his previous stance in February, where he stated he could not guarantee the force had not missed such organised child sexual exploitation networks in the capital.
From Denial to a Major Review
The revelation follows an investigation by MyLondon and the Express which scrutinised official denials of a widespread problem. This week, London Assembly Member Susan Hall repeatedly challenged Mayor Sadiq Khan to apologise to survivors, accusing him of having dismissed her questions on the subject back in January. The Mayor did not offer an apology and declined to answer when asked if he had been aware of any grooming gangs during his tenure as the MP for Wandsworth between 2005 and 2016.
After Mayor Khan deflected a series of direct questions from Hall, Commissioner Rowley read a prepared statement. This clarified information initially reported by MyLondon/Express in a letter sent to the Mayor the previous month. In the wake of the media investigation, the Met announced a vast review of 9,000 cases of group-based sexual abuse, including those characterised as grooming gangs, dating back to 2010.
The Scale and Nature of the Cases
Commissioner Rowley provided further detail on the current operational load. He stated that among the thousands of sexual offences dealt with by the Met each month, the force's caseload includes "tens of complex group-based cases" that most closely align with what the public would understand as grooming gangs.
He was keen to add context regarding the demographics of these crimes. Rowley explained that the ethnicity of both victims and suspects in these London cases reflects the city's diversity. He said, "In these cases, we do not see the typology reported elsewhere, where there have been cases of offending committed by groups of Pakistani men on white British children being the sole or majority case. It will be part of the picture, but it's not dominating in the way that's been reported elsewhere."
Rowley also cautioned against simplistic analyses, commenting that "There's too much easy reach to simplistic analysis that risks misleading the communities."
Operational Challenges and Political Pressure
The monumental task of reviewing 9,000 historical cases is expected to take years and cost many millions of pounds, requiring funding from central government. Rowley highlighted a practical challenge, noting a shortage of officers with the specific skills needed to handle such sensitive and complex investigations.
Prior to this broader reassessment, the Met had already re-examined 922 potential cases. In July, it submitted 197 of these to the National Crime Agency as part of the Home Office-initiated Operation Beaconport. The Mayor's office stated that he had no indication of any cases being reviewed in London as late than July 1st.
On Thursday, November 14, the London Assembly took action, calling on the government to progress the national grooming gang inquiry as quickly as possible and to provide the Met with the necessary resources. Susan Hall AM, who proposed the motion, said, "We owe it to victims and survivors to see justice is delivered when tackling grooming gangs. The unacceptable delays to the national inquiry delay this justice every day." She emphasised the need to ensure all responsible authorities have the support they need to investigate these heinous crimes.
