A suspected child sex abuse gang has been smashed by police officers as part of a crackdown on exploitation of young girls.
Eleven people have been arrested under Operation Heliodor in the south Manchester area, Greater Manchester Police said.
The
suspected abusers, aged between 19 and 38, have been arrested for
alleged offences including sexual activity with a child, attempted
indecent assault, inciting child prostitution, abduction and rape.
Police in Manchester have arrested 11 men on suspicion of a range of sexual offences. File photo
None of the men have been charged and all have been released on bail until November and December.
The
arrests come at a time of increased scrutiny over the way police
forces, including Greater Manchester, deal with child sexual
exploitation allegations in the wake of damning reports and claims
widespread abuse was effectively ignored by officers for years.
Detective
Inspector Debbie Oakes of the Greater Manchester Police's Protect Team
said: 'Tackling child sexual exploitation and those responsible for such
heinous crimes is an absolute priority for us.
'We
listen to the children and put them at the heart of our investigations
and tactics, to ensure their safety and well-being is at the forefront
of everything we do.
'Operation
Heliodor is ongoing and, with this collaborative approach we will
continue to target those involved in child sexual exploitation. I fully
anticipate more warrants and arrests as we continue in our
investigation.'
The arrests come after an MP criticised Greater Manchester Police for failing to tackle grooming gangs.
Labour's
Simon Danczuk claimed Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir
Peter Fahy did not see the issue as a priority and urged him to do more.
The arrests, which took place over a month, were all made in the Longsight area of the city. File photo
The arrests
come after MP Simon Danczuk criticised Greater Manchester Police for
its handling of child sex abuse cases. Greater Manchester Police Chief
Constable Sir Peter Fahy has insisted the force has 'completely changed'
since a child sex ring operated in Rochdale
The
MP for Rochdale made the comments after an ITV News report said
hundreds of child abusers were free to walk Manchester's streets because
the force had failed to investigate allegations properly.
The force was heavily criticised in 2012 after nine men were jailed for over a long-running child sex ring in Rochdale.
Speaking
earlier this month, Sir Peter Fahy admitted the force was focused on
other types of crime at the time of the Rochdale offences, but insisted
it has now 'completely changed'.
He
told the BBC: 'Unfortunately there was this big emphasis, particularly
around big cities, about trying to improve in the league tables.
'But
that is no excuse whatsoever for the fact that a mindset had developed,
not only in the police but also in social services and in the Crown
Prosecution Service, that this issue of children running away from homes
could not be solved.
'We
now have multi-agency teams in places like Rochdale. It's not only
about investigating the matter and prosecuting the offender, but
crucially to try and protect the young person from being involved in
more abuse.'
Commenting
on the latest arrests, Lynn Perry, regional director for Barnardo's
said: 'We are pleased to be at the heart of an inter-agency partnership
in Greater Manchester tackling child sexual exploitation; supporting and
enabling young people to speak out and providing child victims of
sexual exploitation with appropriate, long term support.'
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