LONDON: British police will be ordered to record the ethnicity of gangs involved in organised child sexual abuse after a report on Monday detailed state failures to tackle the issue and a reluctance to recognise an “over-representation” of Asian men.

For about 15 years, Britain has been shocked by revelations of so-called child “grooming gangs” exploi­ting thousands of children for sex, becoming one of the most contentious political issues amid findings that fears of being accused of racism had played a part in the failure of the authorities to intervene.

Those on the political left have argued that far-right groups have used the issue to stigmatise entire Asian communities, while others say the ethnicity question has been ignored, often at the expense of the victims.

The scandal returned to the spotlight this year after US billionaire Elon Musk criticised Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government over its stance, forcing him to commission a review by Louise Casey, a member of the House of Lords, into the scale and nature of the problem and who was responsible.

The report found data from three areas showed “clear evidence of over-representation among suspects of Asian and Pakis­tani heritage men”, but that ethnicity was not recorded in two-thirds of cases.

“Despite reviews, reports and inquiries raising questions about men from Asian or Pakistani backgrounds grooming and sexually exploiting young white girls, the system has consistently failed to fully acknowledge this or collect accurate data so it can be examined effectively,” the report said.

Published in Dawn, June 17th, 2025