London is one of the first areas selected for a local investigation by the Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs.
The investigation will look at what happened in London, what organisations knew, how they responded, and why children were not protected. This will include examining how grooming gangs operate across London and in surrounding or satellite towns, including cases that cross local boundaries. Victims and survivors will be at the centre of the Inquiry’s approach. Evidence from this investigation will inform the Inquiry’s national findings and accountability hearings.
Why London has been selected
London has been selected because it is the largest and most complex system in England and Wales with one of the highest rate of child sexual exploitation.
It presents a different context from many other local areas because of its scale and its role as the capital city, with links to surrounding areas and across England and Wales. A London investigation will help the Inquiry understand how grooming gangs were identified and responded to across multiple organisations and overlapping local, regional, and national systems and where children were not protected.
The investigation will consider how grooming gangs operate across London and in surrounding or satellite towns, including cases that cross local boundaries and form part of wider national networks.
What the Inquiry learns in London will inform its findings at a national level.
What the investigation will examine
The investigation will look at how group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse by grooming gangs was identified and responded to in London. It will examine the actions of police, councils, social services, and other agencies, both locally and nationally, to understand where failures occurred and what must change.
It will also look at how organisations work together across complex systems.
It will focus on understanding why harm was not prevented and what needs to change.
The Inquiry is not yet in a position to confirm the specific boroughs or precise geographic boundaries. The scope may include London-wide services, individual boroughs, and cross-boundary arrangements, including links between London and surrounding areas where evidence shows relevant connections.
The investigation will gather evidence from a range of sources, including documents, data, and information held by organisations, as well as accounts from victims and survivors and other witnesses.
The Inquiry will analyse this evidence to understand what happened and identify where systems and organisations did not work as they should have.
The Inquiry may publish findings and updates as the investigation progresses.
If you are a victim or survivor in London
Your experience matters. If you were abused or exploited in London, or if you are a family member or friend of someone who was, the Inquiry wants to hear from you.
You can choose how and whether to take part. You will not be pressured to do anything you are not comfortable with.
You will not be required to give formal evidence unless you want to. There are different ways to share your experience, and support is available at every stage.
If you are an organisation or institution in London
Organisations that may hold relevant information must preserve it.
You must not destroy, conceal, or alter any documents, records, or data that could be relevant to the Inquiry. Destroying or altering evidence is a criminal offence under section 35 of the Inquiries Act 2005.
Details of how to share information securely will be published shortly.
If you wish to share information at this stage, please register your interest via the Contact page. We will provide further guidance as soon as the process is in place.
For general enquiries: contactus@grooming-gangs.independent-inquiry.uk