UK inquiry into grooming gangs to examine cases in Wales and Birmingham

An independent national inquiry into grooming gangs will investigate cases of child sexual abuse and exploitation in Birmingham and Wales, it was announced on Wednesday, according to the Guardian.

The inquiry, chaired by former children's commissioner Anne Longfield, will carry out local investigations in the two areas as part of a broader examination of how organized child sexual exploitation has been addressed across the UK.

Scope and powers

The inquiry will have the power to compel witnesses and documents, allowing investigators to examine what individuals and agencies "did or did not do to protect children from being sexually abused," according to the terms described in the Guardian's report.

By including Birmingham and Wales among its local investigations, the inquiry expands the geographic scope of scrutiny into how police, local authorities and other institutions responded to reports of grooming and exploitation in those areas over the years.

National inquiries of this kind in the UK have typically examined institutional failures across multiple agencies, including police forces, social services and local councils, looking at both individual cases and systemic patterns that may have allowed abuse to continue undetected or unaddressed.

Longfield's appointment to chair the inquiry draws on her prior experience overseeing child welfare issues in her former role as children's commissioner for England.

The wider inquiry into grooming gangs was established following years of public pressure over the handling of historical child sexual exploitation cases in various English towns and cities, with campaigners and victims' advocates calling for a thorough, nationwide examination of institutional accountability.

The announcement did not specify a timeline for when the local investigations in Birmingham and Wales would begin or when the inquiry is expected to report its findings.