Met’s handling of grooming gangs in London

In June, the Chair of the national inquiry into grooming gangs, Baroness Longfield, announced the first three local investigation areas: Oldham, Bradford and Keighley, and London.¹

London was chosen because it is the largest and most complex system in England and Wales, with one of the highest rates of child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA).²

Commissioner of the Met, Sir Mark Rowley, previously stated that the Met was reviewing 9,000 historic cases of group-based CSEA as part of Operation Beaconport.³

The London Assembly Police and Crime Committee will tomorrow scrutinise the Met over its response to grooming gangs, including its work on prevention, investigation, victim support, and progress on the review of 9,000 historical cases.

The Committee will also put questions to the Met and Deputy Mayor on the findings of the Committee investigation so far, having heard from prominent journalists who have covered grooming gangs in London, and from charities and academics who specialise in support for victim-survivors.

The Committee will then hold a Q&A with the Deputy Mayor, looking at Live Facial Recognition and the protests outside Edgware United Synagogue.

Guests include:

Part one – Grooming gangs in London:

• Deputy Assistant Commissioner Kevin Southworth, Metropolitan Police Service
• Kaya Comer-Schwartz, Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime
• Will Balakrishnan, Director of Commissioning and Partnerships, Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC)

Part two – Q&A:

• Kaya Comer-Schwartz, Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime

The meeting will take place in the Chamber at City Hall on Wednesday 15 July 2026 at 10am.

Media and members of the public are invited to attend.

The meeting can also be viewed LIVE or later via webcast or YouTube.

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