LONDON: The Greater Manchester Police (GMP) chief on Wednesday said police were “actively pursuing” child sexual exploitation suspects in Pakistan so that they can be extradited to the United Kingdom to face criminal charges.

Chief Constable Stephen Watson on a radio show confirmed that GMP were “seeking to bring suspects in from Pakistan” but did not share details on suspects or cases due to judicial processes.

Without sharing names or timelines, Mr Watson said the pursuit was for “more than one” suspect and hinted that an announcement on the issue would be made shortly.

He said, “The reality is, we will hunt down people who commit these offences. We will hunt people down.” The crime that took place in the past “doesn’t stay in the past”, he added.

His comments come in the aftermath of controversial comments made by Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who came under fire when she said child sexual offenders are predominantly British-Pakistani men whose cultural values are at odds with British values.

Ms Braverman made the statement while referring to the sex grooming scandal that occurred in Rotherham, which was rocked by a child sexual exploitation scandal in which five British-Pakistani men were convicted of grooming, raping and exploiting young girls.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2023