𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

A former police officer has said grooming gangs are a pernicious and revolting crime phenomenon that blights many of the UK’s inner cities. They have came to light after Peter Bleksley’s policing career ended, but he and former Greater Manchester Police detective Maggie Oliver have kept a close eye on developments, the former undercover cop told our podcast The Daily Expresso. Mr Bleksley said: “It is not racist in the slightest to say that the majority of of the perpatrators of the crimes that have come to light thus far are of Pakistani origin, and many of them happen to be Muslims as well.”

The majority of victims have been “young white vulnerable girls”, he added, who had been let down by “appalling behavior” from police officers, including senior police chiefs, the former officer claimed; social workers and others who “chose not to rock the boat” or “look the other way because of racial sensitivities”.

“And that, I’m afraid, is quite deeprooted in much of policing,” Mr Bleksley said. “People are not courageous to stand up and call facts facts, because it will blight their promotion chances, for example. Or, moreover, it may cause community unrest.”

He also told host JJ Anisiobi: “Quite frankly now, with four million Muslim people being in the UK, and of course we’ve got the law abiding percentage which is considerable, who contribute to UK life, who are integrated, but there is a growing number of people who live in isolation, who don’t appreciate Britain for what it is, other than to try and rinse it, who commit criminality.

“And were there to be, shall we say rather clumsily, an uprising or huge unrest, I think the police know, but won’t say, that they don’t have the numbers to be able to put that down and keep the streets safe.

“So they’re afraid.”

An independent inquiry into grooming gangs will be chaired by Baroness Anne Longfield, the Government has announced.

Proceedings will examine the actions of the police, councils, social services and other agencies, both locally and nationally, making sure any wrongdoing or cover-ups are brought to light and holding those responsible to account, and will be backed by £65million of funding, officials added.

The Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has said she wants forces to record the information in the wake of the grooming gangs scandals, The Telegraph reported.

But speaking as new police data on child sexual abuse and exploitation was published on Thursday, the heads of two major child protection programmes cast doubt on whether the move will ever be possible.