16 arrests in historic child sex investigation

of both current and ‘nonrecent’ sexual offences against children. These are abhorrent crimes that affect the most vulnerable in our society.

“Protecting children and ensuring that victims are put at the heart of everything we do is a top priority for the force.

“We have specialist safeguarding units in each of our five policing districts, which include officers dedicated to dealing with both current and historic child abuse and child sexual exploitation.

“Tackling child abuse is not something that any one agency can do in isolation though, which is why we work closely with local authorities and other organisations and charities to support victims, bring offenders to justice and make our communities safer.

“We would urge anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse, whether recent or historic, to report it to the police. Please be assured that you will be listened to, taken seriously and supported by professionals with experience of dealing with these kind of offences.”

Last year the Examiner revealed that police had interviewed 120 girls in a massive operation regarding historic allegations of child sex abuse over a seven-year period and 16 of them have provided evidence which had led to the arrests of 32 people with 29 eventually being charged. A detective involved in the investigation said many of the victims did not want to give information because “they have had children, got married and want to move on with their lives.”

Some of the original 120 girls are understood to have connections to one another.

The arrests were carried out following an investigation which began in late 2013 when a young woman accompanied by her mother went to a police station and said she had been the victim of sexual abuse.