PM's grooming gang crackdown plan wrongly targets ethnicity, critics warn

'It's dangerous' to focus on one particular group of people, warns Former Chief Prosecutor Nazir Afzal

By Lucy McDaid, ITV Westminster Producer

Plans to tackle grooming gangs have been criticised for focusing on race, with campaigners warning they could create "blind spots" that prevent victims being identified.

On Monday, Rishi Sunak announced the introduction of specialist officers to crackdown on child abusers, with tougher sentences and mandatory reporting by adults.

Ethnicity data of suspects will also be collected, with Mr Sunak warning "cultural sensitivity and political correctness" are getting in the way of bringing perpetrators to justice.

Mr Sunak's comments followed those of the Home Secretary on Sunday, who singled out British Pakistani men in relation to grooming gang concerns.

Ms Braverman later defended the remarks in an interview on GB News, accusing authorities of turning "a blind eye" to allegations "out of fear of being called racist."

Rishi Sunak warns "political correctness" is getting in the way of grooming gang convictions

The NSPCC has largely welcomed the announcement, but stressed "any child can be a victim of child sexual exploitation and adult perpetrators do not just come from one background".

Sir Peter Wanless, its chief executive, insisted "there must be a focus on more than just race so we do not create new blind spots that prevent victims from being identified".

Former Chief Crown Prosecutor Nazir Afzal, who brought the Rochdale grooming gang to justice, said the "initiatives do nothing to prevent harm" and denounced the government's apparent targeting of "brown men".

Speaking to ITV News, he said: "By focusing on any particular group of people, it's dangerous. What you're saying to victims is be aware of brown people, when you're actually more likely to be abused by a white man..."

He added: "You are putting people in real danger. You are also saying to victims 'come forward' and then you're not able to give them justice anyway. It's all talk and no action."

As well as expressing concern over the government's introduction of ethnicity data to toughen up on grooming gangs, Mr Afzal blamed a lack of police resources for the overall conviction rates.

Meanwhile, a Home Office report from 2020 found it is "difficult to draw conclusions" about ethnicity of offenders, adding "it is likely that no one community or culture is uniquely predisposed to offending."

The report also outlined that a number studies indicate an "over-representation" of Asian and Black offenders in child sexual exploitation cases, while most show the "majority" of offenders are white.

'I won't rest' until our children are safe, says Mr Sunak, announcing plans to tackle the problem of grooming gangs and child sexual exploitation

However, responding on Monday while on a visit to Rochdale, Mr Sunak said several independent inquiries have been carried out in relation to incidents in Rochdale, Rotherham and Telford, which found the claims of victims and whistleblowers were "often ignored" because of "cultural sensitivity".

He added he "won't rest" until children can grow up safe from abuse.

But his plans have also been blasted by Labour, with both the party's leader Sir Keir Starmer and Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper claiming that they have been calling for the action for more than a decade.

'What have you been doing for the last 10 years?', asks Labour's Sir Keir Starmer

Speaking to broadcasters in Hartlepool on Monday morning, Mr Starmer said he was director of public prosecutions when the first Rochdale grooming case was given "the green light to".

Mr Starmer added, "So there's been frustration here with the government because for a decade, we've been calling for stronger measures, things like mandatory reporting, and the government's turned a blind eye so anything can now be done to improve the situation."

Ms Cooper, supporting Mr Starmer's comments, said "it's too little, too late" from the government.

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