London: police slammed for failure to combat child exploitation

The British police inspectorate on Friday slammed the failure of the London police, already in the grip of a crisis of confidence, to effectively combat the sexual and criminal exploitation of minors.

In a report published on Friday, the Inspectorate of Police and Emergency Services (HMICFRS) highlights that the

, sexual and criminal, represents a barrier

to its ability to effectively combat the phenomenon.

The publication of the report comes as the British capital's police struggle to regain public trust after a series of high-profile scandals in recent years, including the conviction of officers for murder and serial rape.

If the inspection mentions the

of the capital’s police, particularly concerning the teams fighting online abuse and sexual exploitation of minors, it expresses its

in certain areas.

This includes the use of language that blames the victims, the failure to make the link between missing children and exploitation, the lack of knowledge of the phenomenon, the delays in launching investigations and the missed opportunities to identify the suspects.

The report thus makes recommendations concerning the improvement of training, the fight against language implicating victims and the conduct of investigations.

1,200 agents and 400 police officers trained

Head of HMICFRS Lee Freeman stresses that London Police

and that their staff must be

.

Scotland Yard must

, he adds.

Responding to the publication of the report, Commander Kevin Southworth, who heads the public protection department within London Police, said he was

.

He wanted to

following these recommendations.

Since last October, Scotland Yard says it has trained 1,200 minor protection officers, 400 police officers responsible for investigating the disappearances of minors, assigned additional police officers to investigate the exploitation of minors and almost doubled the number of missing minors classified as

.