POLICE expect recent high profile child sex exploitation cases to lead to more victims coming forward and have set up a dedicated team to investigate all allegations.

Last month a grooming gang were given life sentences for abusing a school girl over a number of years in the early 2000s, the latest in a long line of trials seen in Oxford over the last few years.

Thames Valley Police's head of major crime Detective Superintendent Ian Hunter has now told the Oxford Mail that the force will always be ready to support anyone who has suffered similar abuse, no matter how long ago the crimes took place.

He said: "We have prosecuted a number of people for child sex exploitation and we have seen a lot of people rightly convicted and sentenced to long periods of time.

"I hope over the medium and longer term that sends a really strong message that this type of offending will not be forgotten and will not be tolerated.

"Thames Valley Police has set up a bespoke team to deal with child sex exploitation, non recent offences.

"That team, lead by a chief inspector, is progressing investigations across the area.

"I think the commitment of the force is shown that, despite the difficult resourcing situation and competing priorities, we have prioritised this dedicated team."

Oxford Mail:

Praising the work of Mark Glover, the senior investigating officer who brought Mohammed Karrar, 44, Bassam Karrar, 39, and Anjum Dogar, 37, to justice, Mr Hunter said that the cases were some of the most complex his team has faced.

He also paid tribute to the victims who had the bravery to come forward and see through the prosecutions to the end.

The superintendent, who also oversees all murder investigations in Oxford, said: "Of course it is really really important that we listen to the victims whenever crimes have taken place.

"These offences we have been talking about took place some time ago.

"Our priority is to listen to the victim, understand what they are telling us and then look to piece together all the evidence with all the corroborating material from that time into an investigation.

"Yes it makes it challenging. The longer an investigation goes, of course it becomes more challenging.

"But some fantastic work went in by our staff over an extended period to deliver these sentences.

"At the heart of any case, sits the victims and their bravery to come forward in the first place, their bravery to stay involved in the criminal justice system and their bravery to give their evidence is just phenomenal and I pay tribute to them."

According to the most recent crime statistics, sexual offences in Oxford went up again last year, rising from 446 reported to 531, a 19.1 per cent hike.

Experts have said this is likely due to more victims feeling able to come forward, given the media attention.