Lord Scriven – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Scriven on 2016-02-26.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the current performance and practices of South Yorkshire Police regarding investigations of sexual exploitation of children.

Lord Bates

As I set out in response to the Noble Lord on 20 August 2015, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary published a National Child Protection Inspection post-inspection review of South Yorkshire Police in July 2015. The report found that South Yorkshire Police had made child protection a priority and was taking steps to improve its response to child sexual exploitation although areas of poor practice still remained. South Yorkshire Police must continue to work towards implementing Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary’s recommendations. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary is continuing to monitor South Yorkshire Police’s approach to child protection.

The South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner has commissioned an independent review into the force’s handling of reports of child sexual exploitation. The review, led by Professor John Drew, launched on 30 September and the report will be published this year.