Swella Braverman’s focus on the ethnicity of the grooming gangs is “dangerous” for victims because it gives them a “false sense of security” when faced with white predators, said the former chief prosecutor who brought the Rochdale perpetrators to justice. I.
Nazir Afzal also accused the interior minister of “playing in front of a certain audience” which was also “against refugees and asylum seekers” and called it “dangerous territory”.
Ms Braverman was accused of ‘dog whistle’ politics and bringing up ‘tough right-wing topics of discussion’ for singling out ‘British-Pakistani’ men when she and Rishi Sunak announced a crackdown on gangs, including new special police force, tougher fines, consultations reporting requirements for adults working with children and collection of data on ethnicity.
Mr. Sunak did not repeat the home minister’s words, but insisted that “cultural sensitivities” and “political correctness” should not be factors in holding gangs accountable, as a government source insisted that the prime minister did not check ethnicity. affiliation criminals do not hesitate .
Government sources also stressed that the announcement was intended to nurture gangs that have targeted Rotherham and Rochdale, in particular after they were criticized for attacking British Pakistanis, although investigations in 2020 did not reveal a clear link between the members. gang and ethnicity, indicating belonging.
A report commissioned by the Department of the Interior says most child abuse gang offenders are men under the age of 30 and most of them are white, while there is not enough evidence to say whether they are grooming gang members by blacks or Asians are more likely. .
Mr Afzal, former North West England Attorney General, said it would be wrong to focus on British Pakistanis when most child sexual abuse is not perpetrated by childcare gangs, noting that he was often “almost exclusively white”. pedophile rings.
opposing IHe continued: “I don’t know why they chose to focus on brown men when the vast majority of offenders in this country are white men.
“Perhaps most importantly, what message does it send to the victims? They say “beware the brown man” when the data tells us that you are six or seven times more likely to become a predator than a white man.
“And so it gives (potential) victims a false sense of security because they are more likely to end up offended by a white predator than by a black or brown predator.”
“The news is dangerous.”
Mr Afzal welcomed the government’s announcement of mandatory reporting but noted that it had been ten years since prosecutors, including Labor leader and former chief prosecutor Sir Keir Starmer, called for it.
But he said the lack of focus on prevention is a big hole in the plan, as social and youth services for children have been cut “to the bone.”
“Children are less safe than ten years ago, and that’s because there are simply no people who could protect and protect them,” he said.
However, focusing on the arrest and conviction of offenders does nothing to address the loss of capacity and competence of the police and prosecutors, as well as the huge backlog of three or four years in the courts, which can lead to victims dropping a case.
“Just arresting people and talking about the verdict is nothing but flag waving,” he said.
He also questioned the effectiveness of the police’s dedicated task force, stressing that “the devil is in the details.”
Sir Peter Wanless, chief executive of the NSPCC, said focusing on one ethnicity could create “blind spots” for abuse by others and said it was “vital” to remember “that every child is a victim of child sexual exploitation, and adult criminals cannot come.” from just one background.
“Sex offenders will target the most vulnerable and accessible children in society, and the focus needs to go beyond race or we will create new blind spots that will prevent victims from being identified.”
Asked if attention to British-Pakistani grooming gangs was appropriate, Mr Sunak said independent reports of violence in Rochdale, Rotherham and Telford showed social workers, politicians and police targeted victims and whistleblowers “due to cultural sensitivities and political correctness.” be ignored. emphasizes: “This is wrong.”
However, Ms Braverman went even further, insisting that “it’s not racist to tell the truth” about courtship gangs.
The Home Secretary told GB News: “It is important not to demonize the whole community and the vast majority of British Pakistanis are law abiding and honest people, but it is also clear that there were… cultural trends in these practices. cities that we saw, and the authorities and professionals turned a blind eye, fearing that we would be called racists.
The Interior Ministry also made rhetorical statements. The source said: ‘This is about a gang exit, you have to look at Casey’s report and Jay’s investigation, they are all talking about men of Pakistani origin, the British Pakistani community and several reports are clear about the problem within the community. it’s a community.
“It’s not racist to be clear about a problem in a community, it’s not about characterizing everyone in that community, but there’s a cultural problem in this community and you need to be aware of that.”
Sir Keir agreed that “ethnicity is not a reason not to crack down” but noted that the government “should recognize that this is a small part of the business we’re dealing with.”
Over the weekend, West Yorkshire Labor Mayor Tracey Braby described the Home Secretary’s approach to politics. Post on Sunday as a “dog whistle” policy.
Dr Ella Cockbain, associate professor of criminology at University College London who researches sexual abuse and child trafficking, told BBC Radio 4. Today program that Ms. Braverman “disregarded her department’s own evidence and broader research base, choosing instead to establish far-right viewpoints and promote discredited stereotypes.”
This story has been updated.
Source: I News
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