Former researcher says there is still some grooming work going on at Oxford

A former police officer who led a grooming investigation in Oxford has said similar sexual abuse is still happening, warning that “the people we didn’t catch are still out there”.

Simon Morton, a former senior investigating officer with Thames Valley Police, told the BBC that criminals in the area were operating openly and “influencing and organizing others to do the same thing”.

He said it was “clear” that beautification was taking place “in every city across the country” – a claim supported by another police source.

His comments come as a Tory amendment to the Government’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which would have forced a national inquiry into child grooming gangs, Voting took place on Wednesday evening.

The government has already said it will adopt the recommendations made by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation (IICSA) in 2022. Under the leadership of Professor Alexis J.

mr morton led operation bullfinchIt was the largest criminal investigation in Oxford’s history, resulting in the conviction of 21 people for crimes dating from the 1990s to the late 2000s.

He said calls for a new public inquiry were “nonsense” and would be a waste of money.

“We have had public inquiries. Every single inquiry has been thoroughly re-examined and investigated. Professor Jay and his team have looked at child sexual abuse for seven years and have made recommendations.

He said, “Let’s get started. Don’t waste your money on more useless inquiries.”

This is a scene related to child sexual abuse The survivor, who cannot be named, said in recent days there has been more debate about whether there should be a public inquiry rather than about what can be done to help the victims.

“It’s naïve to think that (grooming) is still not happening and that the political debate is focused not on the problem but on trying to outdo each other,” he told the BBC.

“This has ruined my life. People need to focus on us and how to stop this, not on scoring points.”

On Monday, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced that those who conceal or fail to report child sexual abuse could face professional or criminal sanctions. A new offense will be introduced this year.

But Mr Morton said abuse survivors often don’t trust anyone, including the police or social services.

He claimed that recent publicity about the abuses had driven the perpetrators underground but that they were still active.

Mr Morton said feelings of fear and shame often lead victims to hide their abuser by refusing to testify against them.

“When we did this investigation, we talked to a lot of girls and there were even more criminals or suspects,” he said.

“We couldn’t get a few girls to talk to us and tell us their story. We took nine people to court, and we had a very small number of victims come forward and give evidence. It was much bigger than that.”

In response to Mr Morton’s allegations, Thames Valley Police said that information uncovered during Operation Bulfinch, launched in 2011 to investigate historical sexual abuse allegations, led to “24 convictions with a total sentence of more than 250 years’ imprisonment”. Convicted”.

It says, “There are now more police officers and detectives working in child abuse investigations and the management of sex offenders and a new dedicated team oversees all missing persons investigations and identifies patterns or underlying issues. ”

The force said the exploitation of children “is and will continue to be a priority”.