Met Police reviewing 9,000 child sex abuse cases including the grooming gangs London Mayor Sadiq Khan suggested were not active in capital

THE Met Police is reviewing 9,000 child sex abuse cases, including many involving alleged grooming gangs, despite London Mayor

Sadiq Khan previously suggesting there wasn't a problem in the capital.

The force revealed it was looking back at the cases dating back to about 2010 as part of a nationwide reinvestigation of grooming gang cases recommended by Baroness Casey following her report on the scandal published in June.

A Met spokesman said: "We are currently undertaking a review of approximately 9,000 cases covering a 15-year period. In line with the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse (IICSA) definition, these include many cases such as intra-familial, peer-on-peer and in institutional settings, along with those which do not fit the common understanding of a 'grooming gang'.

"Our commitment to safeguarding all victims of such terrible offences and bringing those responsible to justice is absolute.

"Any sexual offending against children is abhorrent but group-based offending, often characterised as 'grooming gangs', is particularly insidious and devastating in its profound impact on the children affected.

"The Met takes all allegations or concerns about child sexual exploitation and child criminal exploitation incredibly seriously and always investigates, following the evidence without fear or favour.

"Since 2022, there have been significant improvements to how the Met identifies and investigates group-based offending, including training for 11,000 frontline officers and the expansion of our child exploitation teams. In the last year we have solved three times more cases of child sexual exploitation – representing 134 more suspects charged."

A spokesperson for Mr Khan said: "Any individuals or gangs exploiting children for sex are utterly abhorrent. Sadiq is quite clear that they must face the full force of the law. These children have not only suffered terrible abuse at the hands of the perpetrators but have been woefully let down by the authorities meant to protect them from harm.

"Sadiq has consistently been clear to the Met that no stone must be left unturned in pursuing justice for the victims of grooming gangs and ensuring the vile perpetrators are brought to justice. Sadiq has led efforts to strengthen the protection of children from exploitation and harm in all its forms in London, including grooming gangs.

"In 2023, the Mayor personally requested that His Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary look into child protection at the Met, including the effectiveness of the Met police service response to child sexual exploitation. Action has been taken on all recommendations.

"The Mayor has invested more than £233m to tackle violence against women and girls in all its forms, an unprecedented amount. The Met have also adopted a new 'Child First' approach to safeguarding – including an enhanced approach to dealing with vulnerable missing children - to ensure Child Sexual Exploitation is treated with the seriousness it deserves.

"The Mayor remains vigilant to emerging and changing threats around child exploitation and will continue to support and hold the Met to account to ensure it does everything possible to tackle child sexual exploitation in London."

In 2021, UK News and Investigations revealed details of a harrowing case in which a girl in the care system was abused by about 50 men across county boundaries, including in London. The Met said at the time it had carried out an interview with one suspect before closing the case.

We have asked the force if the case will be reinvestigated as part of its review.