Home Office Summary of Child Sexual Abuse Operations

The Home Office illegally took nearly 2 years 5 months to answer a simple request about providing a summary of child sexual abuse operations. The first request was sent on 2015 Sept 23 [1]

“Could you please state how many current child abuse named operations there are, briefly list the operations names, which forces is carrying out, what is the purpose of the operation and when they started, under the FOI Acts? ”

They ignored the substantive question and so another was sent on 4 March 2017 [2]. The rather strange wording is a reference to what the Home Office admitted to having in the first request, but kept ignoring the requests to provide.

“Please could you provide a non -comprehensive high-level summary of current child sexual abuse operations (not including resourcing information)”

I had to report the Home Office to the Information Commissioners Office, who themselves take months to act, but eventually threatened the Home Office with contempt proceedings [3] [Appendix 1]. Finally a reply came from the Home Office providing much of the information, which is reproduced by means of jpgs below as well as links to pdfs.

A few things are redacted due to claimed exemptions 2018 Jan 31 WDTK Response letter [4]

“I am able to disclose most of the information that you have requested. The list, with the

date it was last updated, accompanies this letter. After careful consideration we have

decided that some of the information in the list is exempt from disclosure under sections

31(1)(a) and 31(1)(b) of the FOIA. These provide that information can be withheld w

here disclosure would be likely to prejudice the prevention and detection of crime (section

31(1)(a)) or the apprehension or prosecution of offenders (section 31(1)(b).

The exemptions are engaged, in respect of the information which has been redacted from the list, because disclosure of this information could prejudice ongoing investigations.

Sections 31(1)(a) and 31(1)(b) are qualified exemptions which require a test of the balance of the public interest. This is provided in the attached Annex.

In addition, some information has been withheld under section 40(2) (personal information) of the FOIA because it could enable the identification of individual victims. Section 40(2) is an absolute exemption which does not require a public interest test.

Please note that the list is a snapshot of information available at the time, compiled for

internal purposes only. We cannot guarantee the current accuracy of the information

which it contains.”

Public interest considerations in favour of disclosing the information

There is a general public interest in openness and transparency. The extent and outcome

of investigations into child sexual abuse is clearly a matter of strong public interest.

Public interest considerations in favour of withholding the information

The above considerations must be balanced against the need to avoid any action which

could hamper police investigations and have the effect that offenders are less likely to be

brought to justice.

Conclusion

The requirement to avoid any prejudice to these investigations is overwhelming and we

conclude that the balance of the public interest lies in maintaining the exemptions and

withholding the information which has been redacted from the list

The length of time that the Home Office took to reply is I believe an indication of their willingness to subvert the law and to hide as much information as possible about child sexual abuse.

The Home Office appear to have an agenda to hide, minimise and obstruct the uncovering of the real scale of child sexual abuse and also their part in it – from Stephen Smith and PIE and Leon Brittan, to missing files and the Wanless Reports to the domination of the IICSA Child Abuse Inquiry Secretariat. The Home Office would make a good subject of a blog post in itself.

Having managed to delay this information release by two and half years, this is a “win” for child abuser protectionists at the Home Office for whom delay is the norm and an essential tactic in their apparent mission to hide child sexual abuse.

I will be asking for an internal review soon re length of time taken, redactions etc

I have not had time to study the investigation summary information yet but would welcome comments on the significance of various parts by those who understand. I have picked out certain terms which I have printed after the summary of investigations,  so that search engines may catch and register them.

One thing I did notice is that Patrick Rock submitted an abuse of process claim, which I personally did not know. Even the operation name for his investigation is redacted – I wonder why? Two tier justice.

The child abuse operations summary is available via this wordpress blog in pdf  [5a] or WDTK website [5] in pdf. It is also reproduced below in jpg form for easier reading, thanks to Daedulus.

Various FOI requests to police services were made by myself in about 2016 asking what operations they were undertaking, as the National Police Chiefs Council were unhelpful.  I have not yet put all these into one document but they can be searched for in WDTK.

(click on pictures to enlarge)

  

Operations covered are:-

Operation Doublet GMP

Operation Pallial NCA – Gary Cooke, Roger Griffiths, George Neil Phoenix, Eddie Huxley, George Lightfoot, Marc Roy Norry, Gary Cook aka Gary Cooke, aka Mark Grainger.

Roger Owen Griffiths, Keith Percy Stokes were found not guilty

Janner Leicestershire Police

Operation Clover – Arshid Hussein, Shelley Davies

Op ? Sussex Police Neil Fox cleared

Op Kellerabbey W Yorks Police

Operation Hydrant

Operation Yewtree Rolf Harris, Chris Denning, Gary Glitter

Operation Stovewood NCA S Yorks Police, Rotherham

S Yorks Police – Cliff Richard

Op Jaguar Cyril Smith GMP Knowl View

Pallial NCA John Allen and others  Bryn Alyn

Operation Seabrook Durham Medomsley

Operation Tweed Cumbria Constabulary, SIO Doug Hall, Underley Hall School

Operation Kalpasi Met/FBI Southbank International School

Operation Trinity and [redacted]  – Lambeth

Operation Winthorpe MPS St Pauls, redacted

Operation Fairbank MPS Tom Watsons Question

Operation Aster IPCC 8 police offers from S yorks, S wales and Bedfordshire  over handling of Ian Watkins

Operation ? St Francis Catholic Boys Home, Shefford, Beds

Operation ? Wiltshire Handling of csa case in 1990s re Heath

Ongoing

Op Bullfinch – Thames Valley Police

Operation Hellador GMP

Operation Sanctuary Northumbria Police – Operation Shelter, Operation Shield, Operation Jupiter

Northumbria West End Newcastle

Northumbria Social media

Northumbria Kurdish males

Northumbria – sexual exploitation Sunderland

Northumbria Socail media

Northumbria Taxis

Northumbria or MPS 1. redacted

Northumbria or MPS 2 redacted

Northumbria or MPS 3 redacted

MPS organised crime

MPS Tower hamlets

MPS/WYorks redacted

W Yorks sexual exploitation Halifax, Bradford and more

GMP Bolton and Farnworth

GMP redacted

GMP Bolton

MPS redacted

Lancashire cse

Thames Valley Athena Guest House Oxford

GMP Operation Doublet

S Yorks Rotherham

Avon and Somerset Bristol

Derbyshire Police – Chesterfield and W Mids

S Yorks – Rotherham

Cambridgeshire

Staffordshire

Hampshire Operation Marmion

Operation Rice Thames Valley

Operation Voicer NCA

Operation redacted Patrick Rock – abuse of process claimed by Rock

Op redacted NCA /MPS Peter William Allott Deputy Head St Benedicts School Ealing

Op Jarra NCA /PSNI online child abuse

• The Sanctuary for the Abused [A] has advice on how to prevent triggers.
• National Association for People Abused in Childhood [B] has a freephone helpline and has links to local support groups.
• One in Four [C]
• Havoca [D].
• Useful post on Triggers [E]  from SurvivorsJustice [F] blog.
• Jim Hoppers pages on Mindfulness [G]  and Meditation [H] may be useful.
• Hwaairfan blog An Indigenous Australian Approach to Healing Trauma  [J]
• Survivors UK for victims and survivors of male rape or the sexual abuse of men [K]
• Voicing CSA group [L] helps arrange survivors meetings in your area
• A Prescription for me blog Various emotional support links [M]
• Fresh Start Foundation Scottish not for profit group, helping child sexual abuse victims & survivors  [N]

Links

[1] 2015 Sept 23 WDTK  FOI to Home Office https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/home_office_3#incoming-722641

[2] 2017 Mar 4 WDTK FOI request to Home Office https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/summary_of_current_child_sexual#outgoing-629886

[3] 2017 Jan 11 Copy of ICO letter to me https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/summary_of_current_child_sexual#outgoing-725277

[4] 2018 Jan 31 WDTK Response accompanying letter https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/393306/response/1104803/attach/3/43350%20response.pdf?cookie_passthrough=1

[5] 2018 Jan 31 WDTK Response information pdf  containing summary of csa operations https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/393306/response/1104803/attach/4/43350%20release.pdf?cookie_passthrough=1

[5a] 2018 Feb Summary of Police Operations from Home Office https://cathyfox.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/policeopshomeoffice.pdf

Appendix 1

ICO Decision 10 Jan (bad formatting)

Reference: FS50693551
Freedom of Information Act 2OOO (FOIA)
Decision notice
Date: 1O January 2O18
o
lnlormatlon Commlsglon€rg OflIce lco.
Public Authority:
Address:
Complainant:
Address:
Home Office
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF
Ms C Fox
cathyfox@gmx.com
Decision (including any steps ordered)
4
2
3
1 The complainant has requested information about child sexual abuse
investigations.
By the date of this notice, the Home Office has yet to provide a
substantive response to this request.
The Commissioner’s decision is that the Home Office has breached
sections 1 (general right of access) and 10 (time for compliance) of the
FOIA by failing to provide a valid response to the request within 20
working days of receipt.
The Commissioner requires the Home Office to take the following steps
to ensure compliance with the legislation:
provide the complainant with a response to her request which
complies with the requirements section 1(1) of the FOIA, or issue
a valid refusal notice.
5. The Home Office must take these steps within 35 calendar days of the
date of this decision notice. Failure to comply may result in the
Commissioner making written certification of this fact to the High Court
pursuant to section 54 of the FOIA and may be dealt with as a contempt
of court.
O
1
Reference: FS50693551
Request and response
o
lntormatlon CommlsslonerS Off lce rco.
6
7
On 28 March 2017, the complainant wrote to the Home Office (HO) and
requested informatÍon in the following terms:
“Please provide the previously manually compiled non-comprehensive
list of police child sexual abuse investigations that is no longer current
with date of compilation.”
The HO acknowledged receipt of the request but did not respond
substantively to it.
8. The complainant contacted the HO on 10 May, 15 July, 28 July, 13
August and 20 October 2017 asking for a response, but the HO did not
provide one.
Scope of the case
9. The complainant contacted the Commissioner on 13 November 20L7 to
complain about the non-response of the HO to her request.
10. The Commissioner contacted the HO about the complaint and it
confirmed that a response had not been sent out.
Reasons for decision
Section I – general right of access
11. Section 1(1) of the FOIA states that an individual who asks for
information is entitled to be informed whether the information is held
and, if the information is held, to have that information communicated
to them.
Section 10 – time for compliance
L2. Section 10(1) of the FOIA provides that a public authority must comply
with section 1(1) promptly and in any event not later than the twentieth
working day following the date of receipt. From the information provided
to the Commissioner it is evident that the HO has not responded to the
complainant’s request within the statutory timeframe.
13. The Commissioner’s decision is that the HO did not deal with the request
for information in accordance with the FOIA. She considers that by
failing to respond to the request within 20 working days, the HO has
breached sections 1(1) and 10(1).
2
o
Reference: FS50693551
L4. The HO is required to respond to the request in accordance with
FOIA.
lnlormåtlon CommEdonerþ Olflce the
lco.
3
Reference: FS50693551
o
lnformatlon CommlsslonerS Olllce tco.
Right of appeal
15. Either party has the right to appeal against this decision notice to the
First-tier Tribunal (Information Rights). Information about the appeals
process may be obtained from:
First-tier Tribunal (Information Rights)
GRC & GRP Tribunals,
PO Box 9300,
LEICESTER,
LE1 8DJ
Tel: 0300 L234504
Fax: 0870 739 5836
Email : GRC@hmcts.gsi.gov. uk
Website : http://www.j u stice. gov. u k/tri bu na ls/genera l – reg u latorychamber
16. If you wish to appeal against a decision notice, you can obtain
information on how to appeal along with the relevant forms from the
Information Tribunal website.
L7. Any Notice of Appeal should be served on the Tribunal within 28
(calendar) days of the date on which this decision notice is sent.
Signed ¡aaaaa
Jon Ma ne
Group 9er
fnformation Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire

[A] Sanctuary for the Abused http://abusesanctuary.blogspot.co.uk/2006/07/for-survivors-coping-with-triggers-if.html

[B] NAPAC http://www.napac.org.uk/

[C] One in Four http://www.oneinfour.org.uk/

[D] Havoca http://www.havoca.org/HAVOCA_home.htm

[E] SurvivorsJustice Triggers post http://survivorsjustice.com/2014/02/26/triggers-what-are-they-and-how-do-we-work-through-them/

[F] SurvivorsJustice Blog http://survivorsjustice.com/

[G] Jim Hopper Mindfulness http://www.jimhopper.com/mindfulness/

[H] Jim Hopper Meditation http://www.jimhopper.com/mindfulness/#cultivate

[J] 2016 Jan 5 Hwaairfan blog An Indigenous Australian Approach to Healing Trauma https://hwaairfan.wordpress.com/2016/01/05/an-indigenous-australian-approach-to-healing-trauma/

[K] Survivors UK website for victims and survivors of male rape or the sexual abuse of men https://www.survivorsuk.org/ and twitter https://twitter.com/SurvivorsUK

[L] Voicing CSA website – http://voicingcsa.uk/ helps arrange survivors meetings in your area. Voicing CSA supports the IICSA and VSCP and works to help adult survivors of child sexual abuse find their voice

[M] A Prescription for me blog Various emotional support links https://aprescriptionforme.wordpress.com/help/#emotionalsupport

[N] Fresh Start Foundation Scottish not for profit group, helping child sexual abuse victims & survivors to achieve Truth & Justice and to support their recovery. http://www.freshstartfoundation.co.uk/  Twitter @SurvivorsSoS Facebook https://www.facebook.com/survivorssupportline/

This is all written in good faith but if there is anything that needs to be corrected or you wish to write to me please email homeoffice2018@cathyfox.33mail.com quoting the article title

the truth will out, the truth will shout, the truth will set us free

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing” – Edmund Burke

“He who does not bellow the truth when he knows the truth makes himself the accomplice of liars and forgers.” Charles Peguy

To sin by silence when we should protest makes cowards out of men  – Ella  Wheeler Wilcox

Every time we act in the face of fear, we dilute it’s power and increase our confidence – via Gary Havener

Only the small secrets need to be protected, the large ones are kept secret by public incredulity – Marshall McLuhan

Let justice be done though the heavens fall – Fiat justitia ruat cælum