Report criticises ‘major failing’ to gather ethnicity data on grooming gangs

Police forces will now be made to gather data on the nationality and ethnicity of grooming gangs (Gareth Fuller/PA) - (PA Wire)

The lack of data showing the ethnicity and nationality of sex offenders in grooming gangs is “a major failing over the last decade or more”, a new report has found.

Officials have dodged the issue of ethnicity among the groups of sex offenders for fear of being called racist, even though available data showed suspects were disproportionately likely to be Asian men, the Home Secretary told the House of Commons.