Conservative MP Nick Timothy has written to the Home Secretary calling for an urgent National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation into police officers, councillors, and public officials accused of enabling or participating in child sexual exploitation, following fresh and damning allegations revealed by the BBC.
According to the BBC, there is reported credible evidence that officers from South Yorkshire Police raped children, supplied illegal drugs to grooming gangs, and physically assaulted victims, including while in police custody.
Other survivors allege corrupt police officers actively worked with grooming gangs and repeatedly failed to act on reports of religiously and racially aggravated abuse.
In a letter to the Home Secretary, Timothy stated: “This week the BBC has reported credible evidence that police officers in Rotherham raped children, supplied illegal drugs to the rape gangs and physically assaulted victims, including in police custody.
“Other victims say corrupt police officers were working with the rape gangs and failed to act on information provided to them about cases of religiously and racially-aggravated rape.”
Timothy accused officials not merely of negligence but of direct complicity:
“These so-called public servants did not merely fail to report what they knew was happening: they facilitated the crimes of the rape gangs – and in some cases perpetrated these appalling crimes themselves.”
He also criticised Labour MP and Home Office Minister Jess Phillips, who has previously argued there is no need for an NCA unit because the Grooming Gangs Taskforce already addresses the problem.
Timothy disputes this, pointing out that in a written parliamentary answer dated 19 May 2025, Phillips admitted the Taskforce has not investigated police officers, councillors, social workers, or council officials for facilitating abuse.
In that official response, Phillips stated:
“Responsibility for those investigations remains with the relevant local police force.”
This means, Timothy argues, that South Yorkshire Police, the force accused of serious misconduct, is responsible for investigating itself. He describes this as “clearly not good enough” and calls for a specialist NCA unit to investigate:
“So I ask you to reconsider your opposition to the establishment of a National Crime Agency unit charged with the investigation of corrupt police officers, social workers and councillors and council employees who were complicit in – and in some cases allegedly committed – these appalling crimes.”
Disputing Jess Phillips’ Claims
Phillips has argued that the Grooming Gangs Taskforce is already carrying out the necessary work. However, her own parliamentary answer contradicts this claim.
While she noted that the Taskforce “supported forces in making 807 arrests for group-based child sexual exploitation in 2024,” she also confirmed that:
“The data held centrally does not allow individual cases to be tracked through the criminal justice system.”
Furthermore, her answer does not list how many of those arrested or investigated were police officers, councillors, or public officials, nor does it include any arrests for misconduct in public office or related corruption.
Timothy highlights that the focus of the Taskforce is on investigating perpetrators of abuse, not those who enabled or covered it up:
“The Taskforce hasn’t investigated any police officers or councillors for facilitating these appalling crimes.”
Despite Phillips’ claim that there is no need for an NCA investigation, Timothy argues that relying on the same local police forces accused of wrongdoing, particularly South Yorkshire Police, undermines public trust and accountability.
“When I made the argument for a National Crime Agency investigation with Jess Phillips, she said there was no need because the Grooming Gangs Taskforce does this job. But this is incorrect.”
A National Scandal
The Rotherham scandal is part of a wider pattern of institutional failure uncovered across multiple towns in England, including Rochdale, Telford and Oxford. In many of these cases, victims allegedly reported abuse to police and social services, only to be ignored, disbelieved or silenced.
Despite previous reports and inquiries, campaigners and MPs including Timothy argue that there has never been a full criminal investigation into the role of public officials who enabled these crimes.
The government has proposed introducing a new “duty to report”, but Timothy dismissed this as irrelevant:
“That only applies to future cases. The police already had legal duties. The point is that these officers ignored them.”
Growing Calls for Accountability
There is mounting pressure on the Labour government to empower the NCA to lead a national investigation. Critics argue that failure to do so amounts to protecting those who helped enable systemic abuse.
Survivor advocates, legal experts, and MPs across party lines are now demanding that police officers, councillors, social workers and other public officials be subject to independent criminal investigation, not internal reviews by the very forces implicated.
As of now, the Home Secretary has not publicly responded to Timothy’s letter.
Support Services
If you or someone you know is affected by child sexual exploitation or abuse, confidential help is available:
- NSPCC – 0808 800 5000
- Rape Crisis England & Wales – 0808 802 9999
- Victim Support – 0808 168 9111
