MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Almost 75 percent of reviewed child cases were dealt with "inadequately" by the London's Metropolitan Police Service, prominent watchdog Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) said in a report on Friday.
"Far too many of the cases we looked at fell well short of expected standards and meant that victims weren’t protected, evidence was lost and offenders continued to pose a risk to children," Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Matt Parr said, as quoted by the HMIC.
According to the report's findings, of the 384 cases investigated, 277 had been poorly handled, while 38 further cases were referred back to the police force because they placed a child or children at continued risk.
The report found information regarding sex offenders and at risk children was "held in a fragmentary way across a variety of systems," and not shared with local authorities or neighboring officers, making cases difficult to track across borough boundaries.
The Metropolitan Police Service attributed this to placing "a greater focus on reducing crimes identified as priorities by the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), such as burglary and vehicle theft, than on child protection."
HMIC added that it would be carrying out another assessment next year to ensure that the recommendations and necessary changes, including training, have been implemented.
