NCA Publish First Report On Rotherham Investigation

The National Crime Agency (NCA) has published a report on stage one of Operation Stovewood – an independent investigation into non-familial child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA).

Led by NCA Director Trevor Pearce, Operation Stovewood was launched in December last year at the request of South Yorkshire Chief Constable, David Crompton.

Mr Pearce said: "We have undertaken a massive information gathering exercise during the past six months. We have taken possession of information from South Yorkshire Police, Rotherham Council and identified and spoken to other individuals and agencies who may also hold information of relevance to our investigation," said Mr Pearce.

"We have 47 boxes of written material from ‘Risky Business’ alone. These boxes contain nearly 1,500 files and the content of each has been reviewed and is now being indexed, read, assessed and entered into a Major Incident Room system.

"This will enable us to identify links to information from other sources and within other investigations. Last week alone, we took possession of a further 45 boxes of material that will also now be assessed."

Thirty two officers are understood to have identified more than 3,300 lines of inquiry, however, these are both expected to increase as the investigation continues.

(MH)