Skip to main contentSkip to navigationSkip to navigation
Police officers
Inspectors found that on too many occasions investigations into child abuse or neglect were poor and plagued by delays. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian
Inspectors found that on too many occasions investigations into child abuse or neglect were poor and plagued by delays. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian

Police culture must put child protection first, say inspectors

This article is more than 8 years old

Service must ditch target-driven policing in wake of child abuse scandals, according to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary

The police service must change its culture to respond to the shocking scale of child abuse in society and put the protection of children at the heart of its work, inspectors have said.

In a series of reports that revealed that more than a third of police investigations involving vulnerable children were inadequate, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary said the service had to reject target-driven policing in favour of putting the protection of children first.

In one of three reports published on Thursday; In Harm’s Way: The Role of the Police in Keeping Children Safe”, inspectors examined 576 cases across eight forces in England and Wales. Only 177 were found to have been dealt with to a good standard, while 220 – more than a third – were viewed as inadequate and 179 were deemed adequate.

Inspectors found that on too many occasions investigations into child abuse or neglect were poor and plagued by delays, and the response to reports of offences against children were inadequate.

In a second report, Online and On the Edge: Real risks in the Virtual World into Online Abuse, the HMIC found that of the 124 case files examined across six forces, 52% were inadequate or needed improvement.

Dru Sharpling of HMIC, said: “The old methods of policing, which relied on a target-driven approach where what mattered was what was counted – an approach which still permeates policing today – must be driven from the policing culture once and for all. Children must be placed at the heart of what policing does next.”

The report highlighted that in many cases officers did not believe children, while in some cases children were arrested and accused of lying when reporting an offence of sexual assault.

Responding to the report, Simon Bailey, the police lead on child abuse, said society and the police service was at a crossroads. “We have got to fundamentally change our approach to policing so that our absolute focus is on working proactively with other agencies to protect the public from harm committed on or offline,” he said.

“This requires a cultural shift away from largely reactive policing that targets acquisitive crime with success measured by crime statistics and conviction rates. It must be supported by all agencies that work with children getting better at spotting signs of abuse, cruelty or neglect and intervening early to prevent harm.”

In the reports, inspectors highlighted one case in which police and social services agreed, without consulting a doctor, that the likely cause of vaginal bleeding in a four-year-old was eczema even though the child had made sexual allegations against a family member. In another case, it took three months to interview a man whose nine-year-old grandson accused him of rape.

But in an example of pockets of good practice, inspectors praised a detective who helped a 13-year-old who was having a sexual relationship with a 20-year-old. The detective identified the girl as a victim of sexual abuse, arranged for specially trained officers to interview the family, provided advice and reassurance, quickly involved child care services, arrested the alleged perpetrator and took action to safeguard other children.

Sharpling said: “The level of child abuse and neglect is so high that it is difficult to process or comprehend. Responding on a case-by-case basis may be inadequate for the task.

“We found limited evidence that the police listened to children, and poor attitudes towards vulnerable children persisted in some teams. We also found that investigations were often inadequate, with insufficient action taken to disrupt and apprehend some perpetrators.”

Home Office minister Karen Bradley said: “This is difficult and complex work but police forces must do all they can to improve their response to child sexual abuse and exploitation.

“We are committed to ensuring police have the resources they need and we have prioritised child sexual abuse as a national threat, providing a clear mandate for forces to collaborate across force boundaries, to safeguard children and to share intelligence and best practice.”

The NSPCC chief executive, Peter Wanless, described the revelation that 52% of investigations into online abuse were inadequate or required improvement, as “a damning indictment” of police forces.

“Despite national commitments and the dedication of officers tackling these darkest of crimes, at a local level vital opportunities to protect children are being missed by the police,” he said.

Most viewed

Most viewed