The London Assembly Police and Crime Committee convened on Wednesday, 1 July 2026, to discuss the pervasive issue of grooming gangs in London. The meeting, which featured testimony from investigative journalists and academics, highlighted significant concerns regarding the scale of the problem, the inadequacy of current responses, and the urgent need for improved data collection and victim support. A key outcome was the consensus that the term grooming gangs is unhelpful and hinders identification, with a call for a focus on the cumulative harms experienced by victims.

Scale of the Problem and Under-identification

Experts unanimously agreed that the true scale of grooming gang activity in London is unknown due to fragmented systems and inconsistent data recording. Professor Michelle McManus noted that exploitation thrives in such environments, and the Metropolitan Police Service's (MPS) Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, acknowledged that connecting disparate datasets could reveal the true extent of harm. Professor Aisha Gill CBE emphasised the lack of harmonised definitions and the critical issue of missing ethnicity data, which impedes accurate identification. Professor Helen Beckett highlighted that outdated risk assessments are leading to children being wrongly assessed as low risk, while Christopher D'Aguiar stated that children are often identified as perpetrators rather than victims, obscuring the true nature of the harm.

Terminology and Definitions

A significant portion of the discussion focused on the problematic terminology surrounding grooming gangs. The panel largely agreed that the term is unhelpful, hindering both victim identification and perpetrator accountability. Professor Michelle McManus suggested focusing on cumulative harms and group-based activity rather than the loaded term grooming gangs. Lindsay Dalton of the Ivison Trust noted that the media portrayal of grooming gangs does not resonate with families' experiences, leading to delayed responses. Professor Aisha Gill CBE stressed the importance of understanding the cumulative aspects of what is being done and avoiding essentialist language that can lead to misrepresentations of offending patterns. Dr Junior Smart OBE argued that grooming has become shorthand for child sexual exploitation (CSE) and that the term itself is often racialised, leading to stigmatisation and a failure to recognise the diversity of perpetrators and victims.

National Networks and London's Role

Journalists presented evidence that grooming gangs operate as national networks, with London playing a central role. Charlie Peters of GB News described interconnected criminal gangs across the country, often linked by family ties and the drugs trade, facilitating the movement of victims and perpetrators. He noted that London holds a certain prestige for perpetrators, with some offenders from other parts of the UK visiting London due to its perceived importance within these networks. Sima Kotecha of the BBC confirmed that victims from other parts of the UK are brought to London, where the clientele sometimes is, and that these gangs have very active links across the country. Rachael Burford of The Standard highlighted that while county lines drug gangs are a significant part of the problem, separate groups also target children, particularly those in care.

Institutional Failures and Lack of Transparency

A recurring theme was the systemic failures within public institutions, including the police, social services, and children's homes. Journalists reported a lack of transparency from local authorities and the MPS regarding their investigations and safeguarding practices. Zak Garner-Purkis of The Express noted that councils often denied the existence of grooming gangs or downplayed their own investigations, with transparency only emerging in serious case reviews following a child's death. Rachael Burford highlighted cases where children were returned to abusive situations or where cases collapsed in court without clear explanations. Charlie Peters shared a troubling account of a social worker in an East London borough being unable to share information about a young Muslim girl's pregnancies, rapes, and STIs with her family due to concerns about honour-based violence, illustrating a culture of avoidance.

The Role of Social Media and Online Platforms

The panel emphasised the significant role of social media and online platforms in modern child exploitation. Lindsay Dalton stated that referrals increasingly involve online contact, with platforms offering perpetrators 24/7 access to children. Dr Junior Smart OBE described how the lack of safeguards on these platforms allows for exploitation, and that online spaces are used for grooming, blackmail, and the facilitation of further crimes. Professor Helen Beckett noted that the online environment accelerates grooming and desensitisation, and stressed the need to reframe online safety education so that children do not feel blamed for not following advice.

Policing and Prosecutions

The effectiveness of the MPS's response was heavily scrutinised. Zak Garner-Purkis described the response as really, really bad, citing damning HMICFRS reports and a lack of trust among survivors due to victim-blaming and inadequate responses. Rachael Burford echoed these concerns, noting that victims are often criminalised and that the MPS's focus on county lines overshadows CSE. Charlie Peters highlighted the low number of prosecutions for group-based CSE in London compared to other forces, questioning the MPS's strategy and learning from successful operations elsewhere. The panel agreed that a lack of prosecutions erodes victim trust and that a greater focus on victim wellbeing could lead to more successful outcomes.

Support for Victim Survivors

While acknowledging the Mayor's investment in support services, the panel stressed that these services are often insufficient and difficult for survivors to access. Rachael Burford noted that while services like the Lighthouse Project are needed, there are not enough of them, and they are not adequately equipped for the scale of the problem. Charlie Peters emphasised that what survivors want most is justice, best achieved through effective policing and prosecutions. The panel also highlighted the need for long-term, consistent funding for advocacy roles and the importance of incorporating lived experience into the design and delivery of services.

Training and Systemic Change

The discussion underscored the need for improved training for police, courts, and the CPS, with a focus on trauma-informed practice and understanding diverse harms. Dr Junior Smart OBE called for co-delivered training with voluntary sector organisations and longer-term support for survivors. Professor Helen Beckett stressed the importance of so what? training that leads to practical changes in practice, and the need for a smart, broad-brush approach to training that covers multiple types of harm. The inclusion of lived experience voices in training was deemed crucial for changing attitudes and behaviours.

The Care System and Vulnerable Children

The vulnerability of children in the care system was a significant concern. Rachael Burford noted that the lack of children's homes and secure placements in London leads to children being moved out of the city, making them more vulnerable. Zak Garner-Purkis stated that children in care have the fewest advocates and are often failed by the state structure. Charlie Peters raised concerns about the vetting of individuals involved in the care sector, citing a case where a convicted abuser owned a property being converted into a children's care home. The panel agreed that the care system is on the precipice of collapse and requires a total overhaul, not just increased funding.

Data and Transparency

The lack of reliable data on perpetrators and victims was a consistent issue. Charlie Peters described the data as a complete shambles, with ethnicity data often missing or unreliable. Rachael Burford noted that while victim ethnicity is sometimes recorded, perpetrator data is rarely collected. Zak Garner-Purkis urged the Committee to grill the MPS on their data collection practices. The panel also called for greater transparency from safeguarding boards, similar to the accountability seen in Rochdale and Rotherham, to understand systemic failings.

Recommendations for the MPS

The panel offered several recommendations for the MPS:

• Improve data collection and transparency: Ensure robust data collection on perpetrators and victims, including ethnicity, and make safeguarding board data publicly accessible.
• Enhance training: Implement trauma-informed training that focuses on practical application and understanding diverse harms, incorporating lived experience.
• Adopt a victim-centred approach: Prioritise victim wellbeing to build trust and encourage reporting, and move towards victimless prosecutions where appropriate.
• Strengthen multi-agency working: Improve coordination and information sharing between agencies, including voluntary sector organisations, and ensure their meaningful engagement in decision-making.
• Focus on early intervention and prevention: Invest in upstream safeguarding measures, such as child exploitation advocates and early awareness programmes for parents and educators.
• Address attitudinal issues: Tackle victim-blaming and the criminalisation of exploited children, ensuring officers understand trauma and do not replicate abusive power dynamics.
• Increase prosecutions: Prioritise investigations and prosecutions, learning from successful models in other police forces and the NCA, and address evidential and prosecutorial barriers.
• Improve online safety responses: Hold social media platforms and regulators accountable for safeguarding children online.
• Recognise diverse victim groups: Ensure that the experiences of all victims, including boys, unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, and those from diverse ethnic and LGBTQ+ communities, are recognised and addressed.
• Review licensing and oversight: Examine the licensing of premises used for exploitation and the oversight of the care sector to prevent infiltration by abusers.

The Committee concluded that while there are ripples of change and some good practice within the MPS, a significant amount of work remains to be done to effectively tackle grooming gangs in London. The upcoming legislative changes, including the Children's Wellbeing Bill and the Crime and Policing Bill, present both opportunities and risks that require careful consideration and adequate resourcing.