Figures from the police database show that in the first three quarters of 2024 85% of group-based child abusers were white, while 3.9% were of Pakistani origin.
The same calculation for 2023 showed 70% of offenders were white, and 6.9% were Pakistani.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) released the data in a media briefing in the wake of heated debate in the House of Commons over whether there should be a national statutory inquiry into Pakistani grooming gangs.
The political heat was triggered by a series of tweets from Elon Musk on the subject.
Gabrielle Shaw, chief executive for the National Association for People Abused in Childhood, said: “The weaponisation of people’s trauma is reprehensible… Someone’s trauma should not be used to score political points, or as clickbait.”
The issue of “grooming gangs” in the UK has garnered significant attention, controversy, and debate over the years.
The term has become particularly associated with cases where groups of men of similar ethnic backgrounds, notably British Pakistani, were involved, though the crime is not exclusive to any one group.
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High-profile cases include those in Rotherham, Rochdale, and Telford which became focal points due to extensive reports and inquiries revealing systemic abuse over decades.
In Rotherham, an inquiry led by Professor Alexis Jay in 2014 found that at least 1,400 children were sexually exploited between 1997 and 2013, with many of the perpetrators being men of Pakistani heritage.
In Rochdale similar patterns were observed, leading to the conviction of several men in 2012.
And in Telford, an inquiry in 2022 revealed extensive abuse, with over 1,000 victims identified.
While some high-profile cases involved men predominantly from British Pakistani backgrounds, broader data shows that the majority of child sexual offenders in the UK are white.
A 2020 Home Office report also emphasised that group-based child sexual exploitation offenders are most commonly white.
The discussion around these crimes has led to accusations of both racial profiling and political correctness, with some arguing that fears of being labeled racist delayed action against these gangs.
Politicians like Suella Braverman have been criticised for highlighting the ethnicity of offenders in specific cases, while others argue for a race-neutral approach to tackling child sexual exploitation.
Despite multiple local inquiries, there’s been a push, especially highlighted by social media influencers like Elon Musk, for a national inquiry to address the scale and systemic failures comprehensively.
