Oldham a hot-spot for sexploitation tip-offs

Ann Coffey MP

GREATER Manchester Police has received over 2,000 alerts and tip-offs about child sexual exploitation in 10 months - including more than 200 from Oldham, the third-highest number in the force area.

A Greater Manchester MP leading an inquiry says the public now has a greater awareness of issues since the high-profile Rochdale grooming case in 2012 in which nine men, including two from Oldham, were convicted.

MP Ann Coffey is currently conducting an inquiry for GMP and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd into what more can be done to protect children. She has praised an Oldham project which has helped more than 100 girls this year alone.

In the 10 months up to January, Rochdale accounted for one-third of all exploitation alerts in Greater Manchester, followed by south Manchester, Oldham and Tameside. A total 2,286 pieces of intelligence relating to child sexual exploitation were passed to the police up to January of this year.

The alerts included tip-offs from worried residents and observations from police officers on the streets, social services, schools and other agencies.

These are the first figures since a new system of highlighting potential exploitation was introduced by GMP’s command system a year ago, following the Rochdale scandal.

Rochdale’s police division had 693 alerts in 10 months, followed by 269 in south Manchester, 224 in Oldham and 210 in Tameside.

Ms Coffey said: “The sheer volume of alerts is a sign that the community has its eyes and ears wide-open and are prepared to fight back together. It shows that the level of concern is high.”