The leaders of Rotherham's under-fire council will meet today to discuss the devastating report which revealed at least 1,400 children were sexually exploited in the town.
The council's ruling Labour cabinet is meeting in public to discuss the report by Professor Alexis Jay which outlined shocking details of exploitation over a 16-year period with examples of girls who were raped, trafficked, threatened with extreme violence and ignored by the statutory authorities.
The Jay Report sparked a wave of criticism of police, councillors and local authority officials but only council leader Roger Stone has resigned in its wake.
South Yorkshire Chief Constable David Crompton revealed yesterday that t welve new victims of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham have come forward since the publication of last week's report.
Mr Crompton told the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee that he now has 62 officers dedicated to dealing with child sex abuse, compared to just three in 2010 and eight in 2012.
And he said that 104 convictions had been secured since the start of 2013, while 40 more suspects were on bail. South Yorkshire Police are conducting nine "multiple victim, multiple offender" investigations, including two in Rotherham, he said.
Mr Crompton's comments came after he announced an independent inquiry by an external police force into the South Yorkshire Police handling of sex abuse complaints over many years.
Committee chairman Keith Vaz told members that South Yorkshire's embattled Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Shaun Wright, has agreed to give evidence.
Mr Wright was a Rotherham councillor for more than a decade before his election as PCC and, between 2005 and 2010, he was the cabinet member responsible for children's services.
He has resisted top-level calls for his resignation, including from Prime Minister David Cameron, Home Secretary Theresa May and Labour leader Ed Miliband.
Mrs May revealed that Communities Secretary Eric Pickles is "minded" to commission an independent investigation into Rotherham Borough Council following concerns of "inadequate scrutiny by councillors, institutionalised political correctness and covering-up of information and the failure to take action against gross misconduct".
Rotherham Borough Council was under Labour control throughout the period in question, and the party has now suspended the authority's former leader, Roger Stone, and ex-deputy leader, Jahangir Akhtar, as well as serving councillors Gwendoline Ann Russell, who chairs the town's looked-after children scrutiny panel, and Shaukat Ali, a former mayor. The suspensions will continue pending an investigation, said the party.
Mr Stone, who was leader of the Labour-dominated council for 10 years, resigned and apologised last week following the publication of the report, but declined to comment on today's developments.
Mr Akhtar quit as the council's deputy leader and vice-chairman of the police and crime panel last year after press reports - which he denied - alleging he knew about a relationship between a relative and an under-age girl in care. He resumed his post after being cleared by the police of any blame but lost his seat in the May election to Ukip.
A report prepared for the meeting by council chief executive Martin Kimber said: "The (Jay) report is critical of past actions in a number of areas, but at the core is poor political and managerial leadership.
"The report indicates 'By 2005 it is hard to believe that any senior officers or members from the Leader and Chief Executive downwards were not aware of the issue'.
"It is clear from the report that at this time some senior officers responsible for safeguarding simply did not do their jobs effectively."
The cabinet meeting, which is open to the public, will take place at Rotherham Town Hall.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/meeting-over-exploitation-report-015444626.html
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar