An investigation into how police handled child sexual exploitation in Rotherham has been expanded after a watchdog received complaints involving more than 100 allegations against 42 named officers.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has been examining the actions of 10 officers involved in incidents highlighted by the Jay report, which described how at least 1,400 children were raped, trafficked and groomed in the South Yorkshire town between 1997 and 2013.

The commission said on Thursday that, since that inquiry began in November 2014, it had received 30 complaints relating to South Yorkshire police’s handling of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham.

“The complaints contain more than 100 allegations against 42 named police officers, both retired and serving, as well as a number of allegations against officers whose identities are currently unknown,” it said.

“Work to establish the identity of the unknown officers and to identify any links between the different complaints and incidents is ongoing.



“The allegations range from neglect of duty by failing to adequately investigate on the basis of intelligence or to deal with incidents appropriately, inappropriate comments and suggestions of corrupt relationships between police officers and offenders.”

The commission was also investigating an allegation that South Yorkshire police failed to act on information in 2004 and 2006 about alleged child sexual exploitation in Sheffield. This complaint related to two named officers who had retired, the IPCC said.

The Jay report, published in August, unleashed a wave of controversy about what happened in Rotherham. It painted a picture of hundreds of teenagers, mainly girls, being exploited by gangs of mainly Asian men with impunity.

Professor Alexis Jay, who wrote the report, said police and senior council officers had failed to tackle the problem or take it seriously.

High-profile resignations followed and the National Crime Agency was brought in to investigate sexual exploitation in the town going back a number of years.

The Jay report was followed by another report by Louise Casey, which was scathing in its criticism of Rotherham council and led to the replacement of the local authority’s ruling cabinet with commissioners appointed by Eric Pickles, the communities secretary.

After more revelations about the scale of child sexual exploitation in neighbouring Sheffield, Alan Billings, the South Yorkshire police and crime commissioner, last month called for a wide-ranging inspection of his force, along the lines of Ms Casey’s review of the council’s actions.