https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-61894528
As a long-awaited report in to officers’ mishandling of widespread child sex abuse in Rotherham finds that South Yorkshire Police were guilty of systemic failings, the BBC asked residents how they felt about their home town and the police force charged with protecting them.
In 2014, a report highlighted how 1,400 young girls were sexually abused in Rotherham. The abuse had spanned 16 years. In response to this revelation, multiple inquiries into the way police and other authorities responded were commissioned.
The latest report from the Independent Office for Police Conduct – an eight-year probe that considered 265 separate complaints against current and former officers – has found the force was ill-equipped to understand or tackle the plight of hundreds of vulnerable children.
Some have criticised the costly investigation, which ultimately resulted in no officer losing their job., though a handful of sanctions were handed down.
While some feel that individuals have emerged from the process unscathed, Rotherham itself has not escaped untarnished from its dark recent history.
Now, when people talk about Rotherham they don’t mention its mining heritage, its historic market or its 15th Century minster. Instead, it is known by many as being the centre of a shameful abuse scandal and the failings of its authorities….
As a long-awaited report in to officers’ mishandling of widespread child sex abuse in Rotherham finds that South Yorkshire Police were guilty of systemic failings, the BBC asked residents how they felt about their home town and the police force charged with protecting them.
In 2014, a report highlighted how 1,400 young girls were sexually abused in Rotherham. The abuse had spanned 16 years. In response to this revelation, multiple inquiries into the way police and other authorities responded were commissioned.
The latest report from the Independent Office for Police Conduct – an eight-year probe that considered 265 separate complaints against current and former officers – has found the force was ill-equipped to understand or tackle the plight of hundreds of vulnerable children.
Some have criticised the costly investigation, which ultimately resulted in no officer losing their job., though a handful of sanctions were handed down.
While some feel that individuals have emerged from the process unscathed, Rotherham itself has not escaped untarnished from its dark recent history.
Now, when people talk about Rotherham they don’t mention its mining heritage, its historic market or its 15th Century minster. Instead, it is known by many as being the centre of a shameful abuse scandal and the failings of its authorities….
