Police say extra funds to hunt grooming gangs in England and Wales will likely fall short'

"Operation Beaconport, which was set up last year to review closed group-based sexual exploitation inquiries in England and Wales, will receive nearly 38m, a Home Office statement said up from 4m given last year. Police forces will also be given 9m to buy AI technology to detect online abusers more rapidly as part of 100m of funds to tackle child sexual abuse."

"The money will likely fall short of the amount needed to cover their work to tackle group-based child exploitation, police sources have warned. The scale and complexity of the reviews involved are expected to require a significant number of officers over an extended period, the source said. The increased cash is not expected to cover the funding forces would need to meet the anticipated cost of a dedicated team, they added."

"Responding to the announcement on Tuesday, Phillips said: It is about time that both grooming gangs and all forms of child sexual abuse were seen as a priority that it is and this extra funding will go a long way to righting the historical wrongs ... Now all our efforts must turn to preventing the harm from happening in the first place."

"The prime minister is facing political pressure to tackle grooming gangs, which has become a key campaigning issue for Nigel Farage's Reform UK in Labour's heartlands. The extra money also follows the damning resignation last week of the Home Office minister Jess Phillips, who criticised Starmer for a lack of urgency and boldness in tackling online abuse."

A near tenfold increase in funding will support detectives investigating grooming gangs, with Operation Beaconport receiving nearly £38m instead of £4m. Police forces will also receive £9m to purchase AI technology to identify online abusers more quickly, within a wider £100m package to tackle child sexual abuse. Police sources warn the increased money is likely to fall short of what is needed to cover the full cost of reviewing and tackling group-based child exploitation. The reviews are expected to be large and complex, requiring many officers over an extended period. Political pressure is rising to address grooming gangs, and the announcement follows the resignation of Home Office minister Jess Phillips, who criticized the government’s urgency on online abuse.

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