Rape Gang Inquiry

Policing & Security
22

I understand the call for an inquiry into grooming gangs, but my experience with public inquiries is that they rarely deliver the true accountability or justice people expect. Inquiries often take years, cost tens of millions, and end with lengthy reports, apologies, and recommendations—yet those directly responsible are seldom prosecuted or held to account.

Look at the Post Office scandal: after a three-year inquiry costing over £50 million, we still await real consequences for those at the top who oversaw the wrongful prosecutions of hundreds of sub-postmasters[1][5]. The Grenfell Tower inquiry exposed shocking negligence and regulatory failures, but seven years on, despite a damning report, there have been no criminal convictions for those who made the deadly decisions[2]. Similarly, the Mid Staffordshire NHS scandal led to hundreds of unnecessary patient deaths, yet no senior staff or managers faced criminal charges, despite a massive inquiry and public outcry[3][4].

These examples show that while inquiries can uncover the truth, they rarely deliver justice or deter future wrongdoing. What we really need is a dedicated taskforce with the power and resources to investigate, prosecute, and bring to justice not just the perpetrators, but also anyone who covered up these crimes or failed in their duty. Only then will we see real accountability and change.

Sources
[1] Post Office Inquiry draws to a close after three years | ITV News https://www.itv.com/news/2024-12-17/no-justice-without-accountability-years-long-post-office-inquiry-closes
[2] Damning Final Report Into Deadly Grenfell Fire Is Released https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/04/world/europe/grenfell-tower-fire-inquiry-report-uk.html
[3] Stafford Hospital scandal: The real story behind Channel 4’s The Cure Stafford Hospital scandal: The real story behind Channel 4's The Cure
[4] Stafford Hospital scandal: No staff members to face criminal charges Stafford Hospital scandal: No staff members to face criminal charges | Express & Star
[5] Holding the Post Office Scandal’s Perpetrators Accountable: A Call … Holding the Post Office Scandal's Perpetrators Accountable: A Call for Justice —
[6] British Post Office scandal - Wikipedia British Post Office scandal - Wikipedia
[7] Post Office Horizon – an accountability failure Post Office Horizon – an accountability failure – Committee on Standards in Public Life
[8] Post Office scandal accountability lies with govt, minister says Yahoo is part of the Yahoo family of brands
[9] Post Office scandal: Inquiry’s final phase exposes dysfunction past … Post Office scandal: Inquiry’s final phase exposes dysfunction past and present | Computer Weekly
[10] The Grenfell fire inquiry has ended with a damning report. So now … The Grenfell fire inquiry has ended with a damning report. So now what? | AP News
[11] Mid Staffordshire trust pleads guilty to health and safety breaches https://www.bmj.com/content/351/bmj.h5973
[12] Post Office scandal: MPs call for financial penalty for slow payouts Post Office: MPs call for financial penalty for slow payouts
[13] ‘Decades of failure’: Who has UK’s Grenfell Tower fire inquiry blamed? ‘Decades of failure’: Who has UK’s Grenfell Tower fire inquiry blamed? | Construction News | Al Jazeera
[14] First criminal probe into patient death at scandal-hit Mid-Staffs hospital First criminal probe into patient death at scandal-hit Mid-Staffs hospital | The Independent | The Independent
[15] [PDF] Report of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7ba0faed915d13110607c8/0947.pdf
[16] Government failed to provide accurate cost of Post Office scandal … Government failed to provide accurate cost of Post Office scandal compensation | Computer Weekly
[17] Grenfell Tower report: an expert explains why so many people have … Grenfell Tower report: an expert explains why so many people have been blamed

23

Very valid points. It seems to me the crux of the argument is that we should support ANYONE who makes an effort to expose and hold accountable those who turned away from this awful abuse. Messy, incomplete or without legal powers, the true facts in the public eye are a huge tool for change. So Rupert Lowe has my huge thanks and support

1 Like
24

So now, Keir Starmer has decided to launch a public enquiry into this… I guess this raises two questions: should Lowe’s one still happen, and do we expect the Government’s one actually to produce anything?

1 Like
25

Rupert’s one will be a kind of guarantee of comparison, and to hold starmer to account for any missing info or procedures.
Honestly? This needs to be something that ejects labour from government, this damage cannot continue.

26

A rape gang enquiry, convened by a complicit government and filled with lefty friends of said government to decide, at great expense, that the whole thing was a fabrication by Tommy Robinson? Yes, I think Lowe just needs to have an enquiry into the enquiry.

2 Likes
27

Lowe has raised the money and spent money on this. He might as well keep going with it. If Labour’s inquiry has different findings from Lowe’s, I want to know about it. I want to know who’s got what on who. Plus, I don’t want Reform or Conservatives claiming credit for pushing Labour into this as their parties have been useless, but massive respect to the MP’s from both parties and others who joined Rupert’s team. I hope they keep going.

2 Likes