WE are now just weeks away, it appears, from finally seeing the Serious Case Review that will hopefully expose the full horror of the grooming of children in Oxford.
A similar report into the scandal in Rotherham estimated there were at least 1,400 victims and led to the resignation of Rotherham Borough Council’s chief executive. And then there were the demands for the local police and crime commissioner to go because of his role in children’s services at the time.
Last year in Oxford we saw seven men jailed for 95 years for the abuse of six girls. No one should fool themselves into thinking they were the only victims.
Those prosecutions were those where police felt they had pulled together enough evidence to prosecute.
Today the city’s two MPs, Andrew Smith and Nicola Blackwood, have given their voice to what we all feel: heads will have to roll if the Bullfinch Serious Case Review uncovers more than has already been publicly aired.
The review will send shockwaves through the community, but there must not be low-level scapegoats.
We already know that there were failings by individuals, including police and social workers. But the buck must not stop with them.
Whilst the men themselves were guilty of the abuse, it appears from the trial that they were able to groom and exploit their victims because of the culture within organisations like the police and county council.
There is a fear that in some quarters, these authorities seemed to share the abusers’ view that the victims were worthless.
If the Bullfinch review finds that is the case, we would expect senior people to do the honourable thing and walk, rather than try to cling to well-paid public sector jobs.
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