Greater Manchester Police (GMP) are currently investigating more than 1,000 suspects in connection with grooming gangs and other forms of child sexual exploitation, according to a new report from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS).
++ UK records hottest day of 2025 amid Europe-Wide heatwave
The 76-page report outlines the current efforts and improvements made by GMP, alongside health bodies and the ten local authorities in Greater Manchester, in addressing both historical and ongoing child sexual abuse offences. It highlights that GMP now has active inquiries into “multi-victim, multi-offender” cases, involving 714 victims and 1,099 suspects.
Since 2019, when GMP began reviewing historic child sexual exploitation cases, the force has been commended for its strengthened understanding and response. Michelle Skeer, His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary, acknowledged the changes but noted that rebuilding public trust remains a challenge:
“For some, trust and confidence in the police had been lost, and the force would not be able to rectify their experiences,” she said. “It is vital that improvements are led by victims’ experiences, and if they do come forward, they are supported, protected and taken seriously.”
The report found that Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson and his senior leadership have prioritised child protection. They have ensured that every supervisor within the force has personally received a briefing about its importance, signalling what the report calls a “cultural shift”. According to one officer, investigating child sexual exploitation is now considered “everyone’s business”.
Notably, GMP is the only police force in the country with a dedicated team for grooming gang investigations: the Child Sexual Exploitation Major Investigation Team (CSE MIT), formed in 2021. The unit includes approximately 100 officers and staff, and is supported by a ring-fenced budget.
By October 2024, the CSE MIT had taken on 13 of the force’s 59 active multi-victim grooming gang investigations. The force has also begun recording demographic data—such as age, sex, and ethnicity—on victims and suspects, to help identify emerging threats and improve response strategies.
++ Vet issues urgent warning over viral trend that could kill pets
However, the report did raise concerns. Inspectors found gaps in training within some investigation teams and cited incidents in which victims were poorly treated or failed by the system. Data sharing was also flagged as a major issue. Manchester City Council, in particular, was criticised for redacting intelligence so heavily that in some instances only a few words remained on each page. This led to significant delays in some investigations.
Baroness Casey’s recent review noted a disproportionate number of Asian men among suspects in grooming gang cases in Greater Manchester. She argued that more must be done to understand why, despite what she described as ongoing “denial” among some authorities.
Despite these challenges, the work of the CSE MIT and other related investigations has resulted in 42 convictions, with offenders collectively sentenced to more than 430 years in prison. Several additional trials are still pending.
The report concluded:
“The force fully accepts that it made mistakes in the past. It has taken positive and effective steps to learn from these mistakes and improve how it investigates recent and non-recent child sexual exploitation.”
Responding to the findings, Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said:
“I am confident in my view that the Greater Manchester system is in a demonstrably different and far stronger place today than it was when the failings happened.”
 are currently investigating more than 1,000 suspects in connection with grooming gangs and other...){kind=link}