Best Of

Horribly big news, on topic

The Metropolitan Police is reviewing 9,000 cases in a huge new grooming gangs probe despite Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s previous denials any operated in the capital.

The announcement comes after an Express/MyLondon investigation exposed several potential grooming gang cases in London appeared to have been overlooked.
Khan has repeatedly stated there were “no reports” or “indications” that London was blighted by the type of abuse that affected towns like Rochdale and Rotherham.

But on Friday evening, the Met revealed it has 9,000 cases to reassess.

In a letter from Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley to the Mayor, London’s top cop tells Khan he is “responding to questions about child sexual exploitation” adding that “any sexual offending against children is abhorrent but group-based offending, including that characterised as ‘Grooming Gangs’, is particularly insidious. And devastating in its profound impact on the children affected.”

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/2125659/met-police-grooming-gang-cases-reopen

You would have to be an idiot of the highest order to believe that the largest city in the country would be immune to a type of offence that has been so prevalent everywhere else in the country. What is wrong with people?

While I'm largely in agreement with Cyclefree, it's possibly not quite as clearcut as the header lays out.
The header refers to this, but I'm unsure what to make of it.

Five grooming gang survivors tell PM they will stay on panel only if Jess Phillips remains in post
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/oct/23/five-grooming-gang-survivors-tell-pm-they-will-stay-on-panel-only-if-jess-phillips-remains-in-post

First, it's only 4 as one of them has denied being part of this group and has criticised the Guardian for including her name.

Second, they are apparently victims of familial child sex abuse not grooming gangs. It is alleged that they were known personally to Jess Phillips and were put on the panel by her. They were asked about the scope of the inquiry and this is why there are concerns that they have been included in order to dilute the inquiry's focus. Remember IICSA looked into other forms of CSA.

Third, the Minister is the least important person here. She is there to receive the report not get involved in the details like this. It really ought to be the investigator - the Chair - who should be dealing with stuff like this. See my more detailed response to @DavidL.

"Grooming gangs" sounds like bunches of marauding barbers.

Let's be clear; these are organised gangs of child rapists, the vast majority of whom are of Pakistani heritage.

Sadly, some on the left don't even want to acknowledge that simple fact.

The facts are that the overwhelming majority of both individuals and gangs are white British.

Certain ethnic groups are over represented among offenders, compared to their (minority) numbers in the general population.

That’s just stating the obvious. Of course the overwhelming majority of almost every thing in Britain are white British, as the overwhelming majority of people are

It would be even more terrifying if it wasn’t so

But there haven’t been Gangs of White British men taking it in turns to rape under age non white British girls on an industrial scale and, if there had, I don’t think in the 21st century it would have been covered up for fear of upsetting white British people.

The grooming gangs horror shows that multiculturalism doesn’t work on two levels; firstly that victims are chosen on a religious or racial basis means it doesn’t work on the streets, and secondly that supporters of multiculturalism look the other way when it’s proven to cause harm shows it doesn’t work within the authorities

There is something not quite right about the statement "he facts are that the overwhelming majority of both individuals and gangs are white British" in the context of the specific cases that have led to where we are. I am certain that the first point is true - sadly CSA is all too common, and the vast, vast majority of people in this country are white. The second part I am less sure about, unless the issue is categorisation. How is a 'gang' being defined? I don't recall many cases of tens of white faces being convicted of such offences. I do recall the odd collection of two or three of the evil cnuts. Is that the difference?

I am sure that victims of CSA that are not victims of Rotherham style gangs etc want their voices heard. But their issue is not where the political challenge lies. Its this interface of race, culture, political alliegance that has generated so much anger.

Most people understand that most people do not do this kind of thing. But if it is shown that multiculturalism and avoiding aggravating racial tension has allowed CSA to run unchecked then the country needs a long, hard look at itself.

Regarding the subject of the header, as people here know, I don't subscribe to the cultural reason for the grooming gangs phenomena.

I don't care how mediaeval your cultural hinterland is, if you step over the mark and get very harshly punished, you stop.

Look at the recent epidemic of shoplifting. We don't need to go raking through our culture for a history of shoplifting - shoplifting happens because of the absence of consequences.

I believe that if the enquiry is genuine, the blame will be placed overwhelmingly on the police, and others in authority, whose inaction or collusion led this to reach massive proportions.

I think that is why the authorities would like to widen the enquiry's scope - not to avoid the finger of blame being pointed at minorities, but to avoid it being pointed at themselves. Indeed, if push comes to shove, I firmly believe the Jess Phillips of this world will stab community relations in the back and blame it all on culture.

I don't think most people on here realise how fundamentally broken the care system is in the UK.

Kids don't get easily taken from their parents. And if they do, they mostly get sent to other family members,

If you end up in the care system proper, then you are almost certainly the victim of abuse and neglect. You will probably have been excluded from school. You will likely have substance issues.

Social services does their best, but these are exceptionally damaged kids, who have been fucked over by every adult they've ever gotten close to. Not to mention the fact that the girls are regularly sexually abused by the boys.

I knew a kid at Cambridge who had come out the care system. He was one of the most traumatised people I've ever known. His stories would be unbelievable to anyone on here who doesn't know social care.

He was the exception. I doubt a fraction of 1% of people in the care system make it to any kind of university. Most reach 18 and graduate from these homes go straight into a life of benefits and petty crime.

This is still going on today.

The police know how fucked up social care is. They know that the girls have been abused and some have been picked up for soliciting. They know they are inarticulate and make poor witnesses. Even without the ethnic element, they were lazy because these were not easy cases to make.

I would love it if - now we know about the grooming gangs - that kids (particularly girls) in care were less likely to be raped and abused. Sadly, I think it is hghly unlikely. As a society, we've chosen to pretend these problems don't exist, because they are really difficult problems to solve.

Worth noting though that not all the girls who were victims of these gangs were in care. In many cases, their parents tried to intervene and help and report matters to the police and were fobbed off by them. In one case, the father was threatened with arrest.

What were schools doing, for instance?

When I was a teenager my uncle was staying with us. He was much younger than my mother and a very handsome Italian. He walked me to school one morning and kissed me goodbye (normal peck on the cheek) before I went in. A teacher must have seen as I was called in to be asked who he was etc and the school then checked with my mother to make sure that what I had told them was correct. It all seemed perfectly normal to me - that adults would be noticing what children they were responsible for were doing and checking that it was all ok.

Did no-one notice that young girls were going round with men old enough to be their fathers? Adults in this country need to learn to behave like adults. I realise this may seem a hideously old-fashioned view. But I don't care. Too many adults have forgotten this and behave like petulant teenagers instead. We need some grown ups in charge everywhere. See also the evidence which has come out today in the Southport murders case - which is really chilling. An experienced teacher did her job and was shut down by some idiot who failed to engage brain and think.

Regarding the subject of the header, as people here know, I don't subscribe to the cultural reason for the grooming gangs phenomena.

I don't care how mediaeval your cultural hinterland is, if you step over the mark and get very harshly punished, you stop.

Look at the recent epidemic of shoplifting. We don't need to go raking through our culture for a history of shoplifting - shoplifting happens because of the absence of consequences.

I believe that if the enquiry is genuine, the blame will be placed overwhelmingly on the police, and others in authority, whose inaction or collusion led this to reach massive proportions.

I think that is why the authorities would like to widen the enquiry's scope - not to avoid the finger of blame being pointed at minorities, but to avoid it being pointed at themselves. Indeed, if push comes to shove, I firmly believe the Jess Phillips of this world will stab community relations in the back and blame it all on culture.

I don't think most people on here realise how fundamentally broken the care system is in the UK.

Kids don't get easily taken from their parents. And if they do, they mostly get sent to other family members,

If you end up in the care system proper, then you are almost certainly the victim of abuse and neglect. You will probably have been excluded from school. You will likely have substance issues.

Social services does their best, but these are exceptionally damaged kids, who have been fucked over by every adult they've ever gotten close to. Not to mention the fact that the girls are regularly sexually abused by the boys.

I knew a kid at Cambridge who had come out the care system. He was one of the most traumatised people I've ever known. His stories would be unbelievable to anyone on here who doesn't know social care.

He was the exception. I doubt a fraction of 1% of people in the care system make it to any kind of university. Most reach 18 and graduate from these homes go straight into a life of benefits and petty crime.

This is still going on today.

The police know how fucked up social care is. They know that the girls have been abused and some have been picked up for soliciting. They know they are inarticulate and make poor witnesses. Even without the ethnic element, they were lazy because these were not easy cases to make.

I would love it if - now we know about the grooming gangs - that kids (particularly girls) in care were less likely to be raped and abused. Sadly, I think it is hghly unlikely. As a society, we've chosen to pretend these problems don't exist, because they are really difficult problems to solve.

A police manhunt is underway after the hotel migrant who sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl in Epping was mistakenly released from prison. Hadush Kebatu, 41, was accidentally let loose from HMP Chelmsford this morning, a Ministry of Justice official told the Daily Mail. The sex offender had been due to be transferred from the jail to a Home Office immigration removal centre in order to be deported.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15224639/Manhunt-Epping-hotel-migrant-sex-attacker-accidentally-freed-prison.html

They are going to need months of listening circles....not for the fuck up, no all the hurty words from the media about how shit they are.

Home Office not fit for purpose....

Uh oh. That is seriously bad news for the Home Secretary and the Government.

Same day as the guilty verdict for a horrific crime committed by another boat person.

And same week as the person who was returned to France under Starmer's 400 in, 1 out policy came straight back.

Its like an episode of Tom & Jerry.

Feck me. It has just dawned on me that the two male characters in The Good Life are called Tom and Jerry.

A police manhunt is underway after the hotel migrant who sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl in Epping was mistakenly released from prison. Hadush Kebatu, 41, was accidentally let loose from HMP Chelmsford this morning, a Ministry of Justice official told the Daily Mail. The sex offender had been due to be transferred from the jail to a Home Office immigration removal centre in order to be deported.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15224639/Manhunt-Epping-hotel-migrant-sex-attacker-accidentally-freed-prison.html

They are going to need months of listening circles....not for the fuck up, no all the hurty words from the media about how shit they are.

Home Office not fit for purpose....

Uh oh. That is seriously bad news for the Home Secretary and the Government.

Same day as the guilty verdict for a horrific crime committed by another boat person.

At least there's space for him in the prison now.

It's Keir Starmer’s new one in one out policy.

"Grooming gangs" sounds like bunches of marauding barbers.

Let's be clear; these are organised gangs of child rapists, the vast majority of whom are of Pakistani heritage.

Sadly, some on the left don't even want to acknowledge that simple fact.

The facts are that the overwhelming majority of both individuals and gangs are white British.

Certain ethnic groups are over represented among offenders, compared to their (minority) numbers in the general population.

That’s just stating the obvious. Of course the overwhelming majority of almost every thing in Britain are white British, as the overwhelming majority of people are

It would be even more terrifying if it wasn’t so

But there haven’t been Gangs of White British men taking it in turns to rape under age non white British girls on an industrial scale and, if there had, I don’t think in the 21st century it would have been covered up for fear of upsetting white British people.

The grooming gangs horror shows that multiculturalism doesn’t work on two levels; firstly that victims are chosen on a religious or racial basis means it doesn’t work on the streets, and secondly that supporters of multiculturalism look the other way when it’s proven to cause harm shows it doesn’t work within the authorities