Abuse case points to wider failings

The Shadow Home Secretary said police forces need to do more to make child abuse a priority, with crime figures suggesting the police still take theft or drug use more seriously than child abuse.

The Labour MP repeated a Labour pledge to make failing to report suspected child abuse a criminal offense, and said a Labour Government would bring in compulsory sex education and relationship advice in schools.

She told the party’s Manchester conference: “All of us should be worried about the way children have been let down. Rotherham, Oxfordshire, Rochdale, Savile, the BBC, the NHS.

“Too many people turning a blind eye. Too many victims not believed. This isn’t history. It is happening now.

“More cases of child sex abuse are being reported to the police, but prosecutions are down by nine per cent.

“Convicted child sex offenders used to be barred from working with children. But since the Government changed the barring rules, nearly 10,000 fewer child sex offenders have been barred from working with children.

“The National Crime Agency has the detail of over 25,000 people suspected of downloading vile abusive images of children online. But they have only investigated and arrested 660 suspects and they say the police don’t have the capacity to investigate them all.

“But the police arrest 230,000 people a year for theft. 110,000 for drug offences. Why don’t they have the capacity to investigate 25,000 cases where children may be at risk? The truth is this is not just about capacity it’s about priority.”

She added: “Theresa May says crime is falling and we don’t need as many police, I say crime is changing and we need police and Home Office action to keep our children safe.”