Eight closed grooming gang cases are the first to be reopened as part of a national review of hundreds of investigations in which lines of inquiry may have been overlooked due to human error.
National policing initiative Operation Beaconport was launched last year to review hundreds of previously closed investigations into child exploitation.
It is examining cases between January 1, 2010 and March 31, 2025, involving two or more suspects, more than one victim, contact offences, where the suspects are still alive, and which have not already been independently reviewed.
Thousands are expected to come under scrutiny.
On Tuesday, the NCA said: “At this early stage, the reviews have identified closed cases from eight force areas that may have viable lines of inquiry. The forces have been directed to reopen these cases, to determine the next steps in relation to any reinvestigation.
“. . . An investigation of this magnitude will take time. Operation Beaconport is working with determination to get it right for victims and survivors.”
