Police watchdog says victims of Rotherham child sex abuse must be heard if lessons are to be learned

The Independent Office for Police Conduct has said that police need to do more to support survivors of child sex abuse in Rotherham.

The Police Watchdog's comments come in the wake of a series of investigations into South Yorkshire Police's response to non-recent allegations in the Rotherham area.

The investigations, known as Operation Linden, have looked into 265 separate allegations that range from 1997 to 2013.

The IOPC has published 12 recommendations to organisations including South Yorkshire Police and the College of Policing.

They cover subjects including training for officers; the support provided to survivors; information sharing between forces; and the way these offences are recorded.IOPC Director of Major Investigations, Steve Noonan said: "Throughout Operation Linden, our priority has been the welfare of the survivors whose bravery in coming forward has enabled us to shine a light on the failings of the past."The complexity of these investigations – which have seen us take almost 1,000 statements, log more than 1,400 exhibits, and carry out nearly 4,000 investigative actions – is unparalleled but it was vital to explore every line of inquiry thoroughly."Police understanding of this type of offending has evolved significantly in recent years and we must acknowledge the efforts made to improve the way these cases are dealt with.  However, there is still work to do and we have issued these recommendations to make sure lessons are learned and mistakes of the past are not repeated."

He added that he was sure survivors of abuse would be "deeply concerned" that some of these problems still exist today and he called on police forces to "urgently" act on the recommendations.

The Police and Crime Commissioner for South Yorkshire Police, Dr Alan Billings, said: "I am pleased that the IOPC report acknowledges that police ‘understanding and awareness of child sexual exploitation has developed and improved over time’ and also acknowledges the continuing efforts made to improve the police response.

|I also note that the IOPC believes multi-agency meetings are working well to safeguard and protect children.

"In the six years since these investigations began, South Yorkshire Police has undergone a period of reflective learning and transformation and has already made progress in some of the areas the IOPC makes recommendations on.

"I now expect SYP to accept all the recommendations in this report and implement them appropriately."

The Deputy Chief Constable for South Yorkshire Police, Tim Forber, said: "This is a journey of continuous improvement. There will always be more to do and we have a determined focus on this complex area of crime."

He added: "CSE remains an issue both in Rotherham and across the country.

"There will always be people who want to cause harm to children but our commitment remains firm. We are improving all of the time in spotting the early signs, preventing and detecting crimes and most importantly, safeguarding those at risk."

The Rotherham MP Sarah Champion has said that South Yorkshire Police must act on recommendations made by a police watchdog investigating the town's child sexual exploitation (CSE) scandal.

Ms Champion welcomed the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) report and said it provides a "valuable opportunity" for the South Yorkshire force to reflect on how it tackles CSE.

The Labour MP said she hoped police would act to ensure the voices of survivors would be "at the heart of their approach" in the future

The IOPC has investigated the conduct of 47 officers during Operation Linden; eight were found to have a case to answer for misconduct and six had a case to answer for gross misconduct.

However, in most of these cases, the officer in question had retired and could not face any disciplinary proceedings.