Eight closed grooming gang investigations forced to be re-opened by NCA national Operation Beaconport after tens of thousands of cases referred - new offending also found in four undisclosed counties

EIGHT grooming gang investigations that were shut down by police forces are being reopened after they were reviewed by the National Crime Agency's national Operation Beaconport.

The NCA confirmed this today, one year since the publication of Baroness Casey’s National Audit on Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, but it has not identified which police forces are involved or if it is eight separate ones.

It also said that new suspected grooming gangs have been identified in four undisclosed counties.

An NCA spokesperson said: "At this early stage, the reviews have identified closed cases from eight force areas that may have viable lines of inquiry. The forces have been directed to reopen these cases, to determine the next steps in relation to any reinvestigation."

The NCA said police forces across the country have referred in tens of thousands of cases to central team, although it has not given the overall number.

In November the NCA said that 1,273 cases had been referred to Operation Beaconport from 23 police forces across England and Wales.

The spokesperson added: "Since Operation Beaconport commenced last year, police forces have gathered and submitted to the operation data relating to tens of thousands of investigations. The operation has begun analysing the data to gain an unprecedented level of national insight into group-based sexual offending committed against children.

"The information is being combined with live data from forces and the NCA, using the NCA’s specialist data analysis capability and new, innovative technology that has been developed by the Tackling Organised Exploitation Programme.

"This will enable policing to quickly identify offending trends - including criminality spanning multiple counties – so that it can better detect and prevent offending, safeguard more victims and survivors and make communities safer. The data collection has already led to the identification of new cases of suspected offending in four force areas, which is now being investigated by the appropriate forces."

In June 2025, the Home Secretary announced that the NCA would lead a national review of group-based child sexual abuse investigations that had been closed.

Subsequently, the NCA asked police forces to examine 15 years’ worth of records, to identify and refer to Operation Beaconport cases meeting criteria which it set out in November last year. 

Forces were asked to refer cases where:

• allegations of sexual offending were made between 1st January 2010 and 31st March 2025;

• the case involves two or more suspects;

• a decision was made by police or the CPS to take no further action against suspects;

• the case involves one or more victims and survivors;

• it includes contact offences;

• the suspects have not been identified as deceased;

• the case has not previously been subject to a victim right to review or any other independent review process. 

Officers from Operation Beaconport are assessing the referrals made by police to identify those that are in scope to be reviewed.

The reviews are extensive and will establish whether or not the decision to close investigations was right in each case, and whether there are viable lines of enquiry for reinvestigation.

The spoksperson added: "Operation Beaconport is committed to putting victims’ and survivors’ needs and voices at its heart, so reinvestigations will only be carried out with their agreement. The team has been developing an online portal through which victims and survivors will be able to indicate whether they would support a reinvestigation of their case."

NCA Director General, Graeme Biggar, said: “Operation Beaconport is the most comprehensive and complex investigation into child sexual exploitation and abuse in UK history.

“After months of careful joint work with policing to lay the foundations, we have sent the first cases back to forces to be reopened. This is the first step toward seeking justice for victims and survivors.

“An investigation of this magnitude will take time. Operation Beaconport is working with determination to get it right for victims and survivors.” 

Operation Beaconport is building upon early review work that was commissioned by the Home Secretary in January 2025 and conducted by the Hydrant Programme.

The operation is being delivered in partnership with the Hydrant Programme, police forces, the Crown Prosecution Service and the Tackling Organised Exploitation Programme.

On 5 November 2025 the Director General of the NCA issued a Crime and Courts Act tasking to all police forces across England and Wales, requiring them to identify and refer into Operation Beaconport by 31 May 2026 all cases that met the stipulated criteria. 

In May this year, the Home Office announced £38m funding to support Operation Beaconport activity across England and Wales.

Read more information on Operation Beaconport here.

Operation Beaconport is shaping a new national police practice for investigating group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE). 

The operation is being led by the National Crime Agency and delivered in partnership with the CSE Taskforce, Tackling Organised Exploitation Programme, Crown Prosecution Service and police forces.

With victims and survivors at its heart, Operation Beaconport’s guidance will advise detectives on how to investigate allegations of group-based CSAE like serious and organised crime.

The document will ensure that police forces use a wide array of specialist investigative tools, so that more perpetrators will be arrested and more children will be protected from harm.

It will also set out clear guidance on victim and survivor care, so that every person receives the right support from the first moment they report a crime to police and throughout the investigation. 

Operation Beaconport has already trained more than 800 police officers across England and Wales in victim-and-survivor-centred and trauma-informed approach. Hundreds more officers will receive the training throughout the summer, to ensure that they are better equipped to support victims and survivors.

Acting Chief Constable Becky Riggs, National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Child Protection and Abuse Investigation, said: “We know that for many victims and survivors, the harm they experienced was compounded by not being listened to or believed. That has had a lasting impact on trust and confidence.

“One year on from Baroness Casey’s audit, our focus remains firmly on improving how we respond, ensuring victims and survivors are at the centre of every decision we make.

“Through the work of the Child Sexual Exploitation Taskforce, Operation Beaconport, and law enforcement partners, policing continues to support forces across England and Wales to strengthen investigations, apply consistent practice, and build a more compassionate and effective response.

“This is not all new work, some builds on years of dedicated effort however, we recognise there is more to do. We remain committed to learning, to listening, and to making lasting change.”