South Yorkshire Police officers to be investigated by IPCC

The Commissioner of the Independent Police Complaints Commission has said she hopes the investigation into 10 police officers is seen as a "positive step" for Rotherham abuse victims and their families.

Kathryn Stone said: "The amount of public concern across the country about this episode and the impact on confidence in the police means it is important that a fully independent investigation is conducted to establish how South Yorkshire Police dealt with child sexual exploitation.

"I sincerely hope that victims and their families will see this investigation as a positive step towards answering the many questions they must have.

"I have met with South Yorkshire Police and am reassured by their commitment to fully cooperate with the investigation."

South Yorkshire Police say they are "absolutely committed to assisting" the IPCC after the watchdog confirmed ten officers were being investigated over handling of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham.

• During a child protection conference an officer is alleged to have argued against the category of sexual abuse being used because he thought that the child had been 100% consensual in every incident. This allegation relates to one officer.

• Intelligence records from June 2001 record that a named suspect was threatening a family and actively involved in encouraging the victim to engage in prostitution. There appears to be no police activity directed around the named suspect's offending. No officer(s) have yet been identified in relation to this allegation.

• Allegation that evidence was lost in relation to a report that between 9 March 2003 and 3 April 2003, a victim had been raped on four occasions. The offender was named and arrested. This allegation relates to one officer.

• Allegation of a failure to progress an investigation into a report from a 14-year-old girl that she had been raped by an unknown male at an unknown location in Rotherham. Allegation relates to three officers.

• Allegation of a failure to adequately investigate an incident in which a young girl was found drunk in the back of a car and an individual had indecent photographs of her on his mobile phone. Allegation relates to two officers.

• An allegation of a failure to adequately investigate naked images of a young girl and possible evidence of group offending. This allegation relates to two officers.

• Allegations surrounding the police response to information supplied in 2001 highlighting concerns regarding CSE issues in Rotherham. Allegation of lack of police action in response to two reports, one in 2003 entitled Sexual Exploitation, Drug Use and Drug Dealing: Current Situation in South Yorkshire and the other in 2006 entitled Violence and Gun Crime: Links with Sexual Exploitation, Prostitution and Drugs Markets in South Yorkshire. These allegations relate to one officer.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission today said it would investigate 10 South Yorkshire police officers over their handling of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham.

The officers are part of a group of 13 referred to the IPCC by South Yorkshire Police. The ten the IPCC is independently investigating were identified through Professor Alexis Jay's independent review of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham.

The other three officers were identified through a separate internal review by South Yorkshire Police. It has been decided that two do not justify an investigation involving the IPCC at this stage, while the status of the third remains under review.

On his first day at work South Yorkshire's new Police and Crime Commissioner has promised tough action to deal with any officer who turned a blind eye to child sexual exploitation.

Dr Alan Billings who was elected on Friday says his first job will be to re-build the reputation of the force. Fourteen officers are already under investigation after a report into the scale of child abuse in Rotherham.

David Hirst reports:

South Yorkshire's new Police and Crime Commissioner Dr. Alan Billings arrived for work in Barnsley today - to take up a role he believes should be scrapped.

He will be briefed during about what his tasks entail, before taking the oath of office at around 2 o' clock this afternoon.

Tomorrow, he is due to meet South Yorkshire's Chief Constable David Crompton. Labour's Dr Billings was declared the new PCC on Friday, but on a turnout of less than 15 per cent.

He says there is a lot of work to be done to help restore the reputation of South Yorkshire Police following the Jay Report into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham and other high-profile controversies including Hillsborough, Orgreave and the recent raid on the home of Sir Cliff Richard.

He told David Hirst his main aim is to restore the reputation of South Yorkshire Police:

South Yorkshire's new Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Billings will be officially sworn in later.

The previous PCC, Shaun Wright, stepped down following pressure over the Rotherham abuse scandal.

Dr Billings will also have his first official meeting with the county's Chief Constable David Crompton who he says he thinks he can work with:

South Yorkshire has a new Police and Crime Commissioner, Labour's Doctor Alan Billings who was elected after a month long campaign, which followed the resignation of Shaun Wright.

He stood down after a report revealed the scale of child exploitation in Rotherham - at a time when Mr Wright was in charge of Children's Services.

Labour beat UKIP into second place by more than twenty seven thousand votes, with the conservatives in third place ahead of the English Democrats.

But Labour's Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper while welcolming Dr Billings' victory said the posts of PCC should be scrapped.

South Yorkshire has a new Police and Crime Commissioner tonight, but just moments after the result was announced the winner said he thought the post should be scrapped.

Labour's Doctor Alan Billings was elected after a month long campaign, which followed the resignation of Shaun Wright. He stood down after a report revealed the scale of child exploitation in Rotherham - at a time when he was in charge of Children's Services.

Labour beat UKIP into second place by more than twenty seven thousand votes, with the conservatives in third place ahead of the English Democrats. David Hirst reports:

South Yorkshire's newly-elected Police and Crime Commissioner says he thinks he can work with the force's Chief Constable David Crompton.

Dr Alan Billings, the Labour party candidate, won the election with just over 50 per cent of the vote. Turn out was 14.88 per cent.

He told Duncan Wood he believes Crompton was "determined" to improve the force: