The Metropolitan Police is preparing to potentially reinvestigate approximately 4,000 grooming gang cases dating back to 2010. This comes after a comprehensive audit of group-based sexual abuse in London, which identified a significant number of incidents that may require further examination due to concerns that perpetrators might still be at large.
Scotland Yard reviewed over 12,000 alleged incidents reported during the period. The audit found that roughly one-third of these cases might need to be reopened. This potential expansion of policing efforts for historic grooming gang cases occurs as London Mayor Sadiq Khan faces accusations of downplaying the issue in the capital. In a video from January 2025, Khan was criticized for his response when questioned by the Conservative leader on the Greater London Authority (GLA), Susan Hall, about the prevalence of rape gangs. He repeatedly asked Hall what she meant, prompting accusations of a cover-up from some political figures and claims of being "gaslit" from victims.
The Mayor of London has consistently denied that his city was significantly affected by the same types of child abuse seen in other British towns. He has also previously avoided using the term "grooming gang," which some argue has hindered victim support efforts.
Last June, Baroness Casey's review into the response to grooming gangs concluded that the criminal justice system had failed victims for decades. Her report indicated that these gangs were more widespread and organized than previously acknowledged, and that local authorities had avoided tackling potential "ethnicity or cultural factors" for fear of appearing racist. These findings led Prime Minister Keir Starmer to order a national inquiry, chaired by former England children's commissioner Baroness Anne Longfield.
In response to the Casey review, the National Crime Agency (NCA) launched Operation Beaconport to identify criminal cases that may have been closed prematurely. Police forces across the UK were asked to re-examine reports of sexual abuse involving multiple alleged perpetrators. The Met's initial audit identified about 12,000 reports, with the in-depth review pinpointing over 4,000 where a decision had been made by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) or police to take no further action. These cases have now been transferred to the NCA, which is expected to announce in the coming weeks how many will be reopened.
Susan Hall welcomed the increased attention on the issue in London, calling the mayor's past response "utterly disgraceful." Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has cautioned that additional resources and officers will be necessary to manage the increased caseload.
Unlike cases in other parts of the country where offenders were predominantly Pakistani Muslim men, the issue in London is perceived as more complex. The 4,000 identified cases do not all fit the traditional grooming gang model, with perpetrators and victims from diverse ethnic backgrounds. A source indicated to The Telegraph that reviewed cases involved intrafamilial, online, and in-person abuse. However, evidence suggests grooming gangs continue to operate in the capital, with a BBC investigation in February reporting that women and girls as young as 14 are being raped and forced into sex work by groups of men of various ethnicities, including white individuals.
A spokesperson for Sadiq Khan rejected claims of a cover-up, stating the mayor welcomes the reinvestigation and believes victims have been let down by authorities. The statement highlighted the mayor's investments in specialist services for survivors of child sexual exploitation and a 2023 inspection of the Met's child protection work, which found it lacking. The Met's Assistant Commissioner Kevin Southworth confirmed the force's commitment to engaging with the national inquiry and the NCA's review, urging anyone with information to come forward.
The national inquiry, expected to conclude by March 2029, will examine how grooming gangs operated and how institutions responded to the abuse. It will also investigate why children were often disbelieved or blamed, and whether the ethnicity, culture, or religion of perpetrators or victims influenced offending patterns or institutional responses. Lawyers representing victims have expressed concerns about the inquiry's scope, particularly its limitation to five areas and the potential for bias in the selection of locations.