BBC News, Manchester
BBC News, Manchester
By Louisa Stevenson | MANCHESTER – 2025/07/03 10:36:10
Getty ImagesA recent report has revealed that investigations into historical child grooming cases experienced significant delays due to heavy redaction of evidence by a city council.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) discovered that some materials provided by Manchester City Council contained pages where only a few words were visible.
While the watchdog stated that this “made it impossible to assess the evidential value of the information”, a revised process for sharing evidence has as been agreed upon.
Manchester City Council explained that “complex” rules regarding the sharing of personal data meant that prosecutions could have been jeopardized if certain information had been included.
The delays were brought to light as part of an inspection into how Greater Manchester Police (GMP) handled historical cases of child sexual exploitation.
The review indicated that the force had made considerable improvements following a series of critical reports regarding its handling of allegations.
At the time of the inspection, the watchdog found that GMP was actively investigating “multi-victim, multi-offender” child sexual exploitation inquiries, involving 714 victims and survivors, and 1,099 suspects.
‘Particularly affected’
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The Andy Burnham to assess the “current and ongoing provision”.
The report highlighted that all 10 local authorities in greater Manchester had their own agreements regarding the information shared with the police.
“Some are willing to share all available information and do so promptly and without redactions,” the review stated.
“Others will only do so in accordance with strict rules on what can be included.”
“This has led to significant delays in investigations and in the preparation of evidence for court.”
The report noted that Operations Green Jacket and Bernese were “particularly affected by these delays”.
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“made it impossible to assess the evidential value of the information”
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why is information sharing important in child protection investigations?
- Effective information sharing ensures that all relevant agencies have the necessary information to assess the risk to a child and take appropriate action.
- What are the challenges of information sharing in these cases?
- Challenges include differing policies among local authorities, concerns about data protection, and the potential for delays due to redaction processes.
- What is being done to improve information sharing?
- Agreements are being developed to streamline the process and ensure that critical information is shared promptly while adhering to data protection regulations.
