Met Police is investigating ‘tens’ of grooming gang circumstances, Mark Rowley reveals as Sadiq Khan is accused of ‘taking the mickey’ out of victims

The Met Police is investigating ‘tens’ of grooming gang cases in London, it has emerged – as Sir Sadiq Khan was accused of ‘taking the mickey’ out of victims. 

London’s Labour mayor told the London Assembly in June that there was ‘no indication of grooming gangs’ operating in the capital.

But appearing before members this week, Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said officers are working on ‘tens’ of active cases. 

He also confirmed the force was reviewing 9,000 cases of child sexual exploitation which were reported and closed between January 1, 2010, and March 31 this year. 

The work is part of Operation Beaconport, a national scheme to uncover failures to tackle group-based child sexual exploitation, which is defined as offences involving two or more perpetrators and at least one victim.

Sir Mark expects ‘two to three thousand’ of the initial 9,000 cases will be identified as group-based offending, but said this would include intra-familial, institutional, peer-on-peer and online abuse as well as grooming gang activity. 

During a session of the assembly on Thursday, Conservative member Susan Hall accused the mayor of dismissing concerns about grooming gangs in London and called on him to apologise to victims.

Sir Sadiq Khan told the London Assembly in June that there was ‘no indication of grooming gangs’ operating in the capital

Ms Hall said: ‘In January, I asked if we had grooming gangs in London. You dismissed my question by pretending you didn’t know what I meant, ‘What does she mean, Chair? What is she talking about’?

‘I have to tell you the rape victims knew exactly what I was talking about, and so did most other people. So would you like to apologise to all the victims of the rape gangs that saw you dismiss this?’

Sir Sadiq responded by clarifying ‘what is meant by grooming gangs’, according to the national inquiry announced by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in June, and outlined the support provided to victims.

Ms Hall reiterated her call for an apology, adding: ‘Everybody knows what I was talking about except you it would appear, and since you are the police and crime commissioner, it’s very embarrassing for you.’

She reminded the mayor of his earlier claim that were no reported cases, and no indication of, grooming gangs operating in London.

Sir Sadiq said: ‘I’ve led efforts to strengthen the protection of children and those exploited by abuse and exploitation.’

He said he had asked His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary to investigate the Met, which went on to embed its recommendations, and said he has funded record amounts to tackle violence against women and girls.

Ms Hall said there was ‘clearly’ an issue with grooming gangs in London that the mayor pretended not to know about.

She said: ‘You pretended you didn’t know what it was. The rape victims have phoned me, they are devastated that they have been ignored, many of them, by the police for years, but to have the mayor of London really take the mickey out of them by saying ‘I don’t know what you mean’, ‘What is she talking about?’.

‘You knew damn well what I was talking about.’

Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said officers are working on ‘tens’ of active grooming gang cases

Sir Sadiq pointed to his appointment of the first independent commissioner in London as a reflection of how much he cares about victims.

He said: ‘It’s because of my experience as a member of Parliament and as a lawyer that I’ve invested so much in supporting victims. It’s the victims and survivors, where my priority has been.’

Sir Mark said officers had so far looked through 2,200 out of 9,000 cases of child exploitation, of which 1,200 fitted the definition of group-based exploitation. 

After every have been assessed, he expects ‘to possibly identify two or three thousand cases where no one was charged, there are missed or new investigative opportunities, or suspects may still pose a risk’.

‘And I stress again, that number will include online, interfamilial, institutional and peer-on-peer cases, as well as those characterised as grooming gangs,’ he added. 

Sir Mark said a team of 26 specialist child exploitation officers were looking through the cases to find ones that could be reopened. 

The Met chief described the ethnicity of suspects was ‘varied’ and reflective of London’s diversity.

‘We do not see the typology reported elsewhere, where there have been cases of offending committed by groups of Pakistan men on white British children being the sole or majority case,’ he said. 

‘It will be part of the picture but it’s not dominating in a way that is being reported elsewhere.’