A police force has been criticised by government inspectors for not always reacting quickly enough to allegations of child sexual abuse and for detaining too many young people unnecessarily.
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) also said that in some cases of children going missing, clear risks of sexual exploitation were not identified soon enough by South Wales police.
The force’s record on child protection has been under scrutiny because of the case of the former Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins, who was jailed for a string of attacks on children.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has been investigating whether South Wales police acted swiftly enough when abuse allegations were made against Watkins, who is from Pontypridd. It has not yet published its findings.
HMIC’s inspection of the force was part of a rolling programme of child protection inspections of all forces in England and Wales.
It said South Wales police’s handling of child protection issues had improved in some respects. But it said inspectors were concerned to find:
- Unnecessary delays in some cases in obtaining specialist support for children who are at particular risk of harm.
- Too many children being detained unnecessarily in police custody.
- In some cases where children had gone missing from home, clear CSE (child sexual exploitation) risks were not identified at the earliest opportunity.
Of 24 child protection files it audited, HMIC assessed the force’s practice as good in seven, requiring improvement in 12, and inadequate in five.
One case it raised concern about involved a 14-year-old girl allegedly being groomed by a 45-year-old man who was employed to transport children for a local church. The case was initially allocated to a non-specialist officer.
The suspect was arrested promptly, but there was a delay of six days before the force conducted a specialist interview with the alleged victim. The force did not consider safeguarding for the suspect’s children.
Inspectors also found that the force was detaining children unnecessarily in police custody because of a lack of appropriate alternative accommodation.
Between February and December 2015 the force detained 71 children in custody after they had been charged. The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 requires a child under 18 to be transferred to alternative accommodation provided by the local authority except in exceptional circumstances.
Of 57 children identified as requiring a transfer, only eight were in fact transferred. One child was held for more than 42 hours, the report reveals.
The chief inspector of constabulary, Wendy Williams, said: “It is clear … that South Wales police understands the improvements it needs to make in order to improve its children services. The senior leadership has made improving these services a priority. However there is still work to be done.”
