Several women who survived sexual exploitation in Rotherham have said they have “no faith” in a police force investigating allegations its own officers took part in abuse in the town.
The police watchdog has said there is no conflict of interest in South Yorkshire Police (SYP) investigating its own staff after victims of the Rotherham abuse scandal said they were abused by serving officers.
Five women told the BBC how they were exploited by grooming gangs in the town when they were children and also sexually abused by officers.
According to the broadcaster, one girl was raped from the age of 12 in a marked police car and the officer threatened to hand her back to the groomers if she did not do as he said.
SYP is investigating the allegations under the direction of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
Three former officers who worked for the force have been arrested so far.
In a statement, the law firm Switalskis, which represents survivors of abuse in Rotherham, said it hoped alleged abuse by officers would have been unearthed following Operation Linden – a long-running IOPC investigation into how police responded to child sexual abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.
It said: “That never came. For years SYP resisted our requests for an investigation into the alleged criminality of police officers, despite us providing them with the accounts of survivors.
“Those that have suffered abuse in Rotherham have no faith that SYP will do a thorough job of investigating alleged abuse by their own officers.
“In addition, dealing with SYP is retraumatising for them. Many of our clients refuse to report offences to SYP because they do not think they will be believed and because they were treated so badly in the past.
“This investigation must be handed over to an independent police force to ensure that survivors feel confident enough to come forward.
“The accounts we have heard, which we expect are only a fraction of the full scale of abuse, are utterly harrowing.”
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SYP Assistant Chief Constable Hayley Barnett said a dedicated team of officers was working on the continuing inquiries.
She said: “We know how hard it must be for a victim or survivor who has been so badly let down in the past, to put their faith into the South Yorkshire Police of today.
“We honour that trust with the utmost respect and care.
“Victims and survivors have been and continue to be at the heart of this investigation and all of our actions continue to be made in their best interests.”
She said the force was also working with Operation Stovewood, the National Crime Agency’s investigation into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013, to “help us ensure we leave no stone unturned”.
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Operation Linden concluded in 2022 that SYP fundamentally failed in its duty to protect vulnerable children and young people during the period under investigation.
Operation Stovewood has identified more than 1,100 children involved in exploitation in Rotherham.
