Greater Manchester Police have launched investigations into more than 1,000 "grooming gang" suspects, according to a report by a police watchdog. This comes as the UK law enforcement agency moves to probe the alleged child exploitation ring following immense backlash, making it a top priority after years of turning a blind eye to the issue, resulting in a loss of "trust and confidence" with the department, the Telegraph reported.

Authorities have identified 1,099 potential suspects and 714 victims and/or survivors, per the 76-page report, which analyzed how grooming gangs are handled by police, health agencies, and city lawmakers.

The term "grooming gangs" refers to an organized child exploitation enterprise in which the suspects, who are composed of predominantly South Asian men of Pakistani descent, primarily Muslims, target vulnerable female British minors and coerce them into sexual activities, including trafficking.

"We found that since 2019, when Greater Manchester Police started to review its non-recent child sexual exploitation investigations, the force has improved its understanding and approach to investigating allegations of child criminal and sexual exploitation," said Michelle Skeer, HM Inspector of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services.

"It is clear that the force has, for many years, been trying to provide a better service to those who have or may have experienced sexual exploitation. But for some, trust and confidence in the police had been lost, and the force would not be able to rectify their experiences."

She added, "It is vital that improvements are led by victims' experiences, and if they do come forward, they are supported, protected, and taken seriously."

Additionally, Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson and other senior officers have spoken to every supervisor, ordering them to inform all ranks that child protection must be a priority. "Grooming gangs" are also a heavily featured topic in chief law enforcement meetings. 

"Officers told us that, due to a cultural shift in Greater Manchester Police, investigating child sexual exploitation is now considered 'everyone's business,'" the report states.
 

In 2021, Greater Manchester Police set up a special team to investigate grooming gangs, now called the "Child Sexual Exploitation Major Investigations Team (CSE MIT). The team includes around 100 staffers, who have also recorded demographic data, such as age, sex, and ethnicity of potential suspects and victims. A recent report by Baroness Casey found that there is an overrepresentation of Pakistani men when it comes to the suspects.

So far, earlier grooming gang investigations led by the CSE MIT have resulted in 42 convictions and more than 430 years of imprisonment, according to the Telegraph.

"The force fully accepts that it made mistakes in the past," the report stated, adding that authorities have "taken positive and effective steps to learn from these mistakes and improve how it investigates recent and non-recent child sexual exploitation."