Force 'inadequate' at investigating child abuse

The police inspectorate has raised concerns over a force "potentially leaving children at risk" because of its "inadequate" handling of child abuse investigations and missing children reports.

His Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary Michelle Skeer graded Cleveland Police inadequate for both "responding to children at risk of harm" and "investigating child abuse, neglect and exploitation".

She said the force did not have enough trained officers to deal with such reports and highlighted evidence of "victim-blaming language".

Cleveland Police said changes had already been implemented and the report reflected the challenges of Teesside's "high levels of social deprivation".

The report's publication comes as the national debate continued over the grooming gangs which have raped, trafficked and abused hundreds of teenage girls in dozens of towns across England including Middlesbrough, in the Cleveland force area.

There has been criticism of the historical failure of police, social workers and other agencies to respond to children who have gone missing.

Ms Skeer said in her report: "The force doesn't consistently recognise the risks posed to missing children. Nor does it respond to them effectively."

She added Cleveland Police should also improve how it investigated online sexual exploitation of children and how it supported affected families.

The report said while officers were "committed to safeguarding children", the force was not yet achieving "consistently good outcomes for children".

"This affects the provision of safeguarding and potentially leaves children at risk," it added.

In a case study set out in the report, the inspectorate said Cleveland Police had graded the disappearance of a 15-year-old girl from a care home as "medium risk".

However, it took officers more than five hours to respond to the report, "during which time there was little police activity or investigation to find her".

After she returned to the home, the girl told officers over the phone she had been at a boyfriend's house.

The inspectors concluded the force had not shown "much professional curiosity" and had not inquired whether the girl was at risk while she was at the boyfriend's house.

The report said: "This contributed to our view that, too often, the force doesn't consider and respond to risk effectively."

It added: "The force doesn't always understand the links between missing children and child exploitation."

Inspectors raised concerns of "victim-blaming language" and said there were a small number of instances where supervisors recorded inappropriate comments about missing children, such as "child does not understand her behaviour" and "engages in behaviour that is highly risky".

Although the force had worked hard on training, this "doesn't always result in improving outcomes for children", the report said.

The inspection, which took place in June 2024, is part of a wider national initiative by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services to understand how well forces safeguard children at risk.

Cleveland Police's Assistant Chief Constable Richard Baker said the report had referred to the force's "dedication and steadfastness in a demanding environment" and said he was committed to ensuring that improvements already made were "sustained and continue to be monitored".

ACC Baker pointed to progress the force had made on the accurate risk assessment of missing children and he said training had been delivered to key members of the workforce.

He said: "What remains of the utmost importance is that victims, survivors and vulnerable people receive a first-class response every time."

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