- Goddard inquiry was launched in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal
- Examining how public bodies handled duty to protect children from abuse
- Inquiry is passing on 100 child sex cases to police each month, officer said
- Estimated that officers will be looking into some 200,000 claims by 2020
Revelations: The Goddard inquiry was launched in the wake of the Jimmy Savile (pictured) scandal
One
hundred allegations of child sex abuse are being passed to police every
month as part of an inquiry launched in the wake of the Jimmy Savile
scandal, a senior officer has revealed.
Simon
Bailey, head of the police unit co-ordinating claims of historic child
sex abuse in England and Wales, said he expected to be handed a total of
30,000 new reports by the Goddard inquiry.
The
Norfolk Chief Constable also estimated that officers would be looking
into about 200,000 claims of child sex abuse by 2020, given the current
trajectory.
Mr
Bailey told the Guardian: 'It is fair to say I am surprised by the
extent of abuse being exposed, it is shocking. In trying to get a
message across to the public about the scale of this, it is important to
remember that behind each of these figures there is a victim.
'We
are seeing a significant rise in the number of referrals each month
from the Goddard inquiry, and these allegations relate to abuse in a
range of institutions from the church, to schools, the scouts and
hospitals.'
The
inquiry, chaired by Dame Lowell Goddard, a New Zealand Judge, will
examine how public bodies handled their duty of care to protect children
from abuse.
It
is holding 13 investigations into abuse at institutions including
Westminster, the Catholic Church, Church of England and Lambeth borough.
It
is also investigating grooming and sexual exploitation in Rochdale,
Devon, Cornwall, Oxford and Rotherham, and at the Medomsley detention
centre in Durham.
A
further 12 investigations will be run as part of the inquiry, and most
of the 25 total investigations will lead to public hearings.
As
part of its nationwide 'truth project', the inquiry opened new offices
in Manchester on Thursday, inviting victims of abuse to come forward and
speak about their experiences, many of which have remained silent for
decades.
Two
thousand victims have already come forward to give details on their
abuse, and a further 600 have said they would provide their full
testimony to the truth project.
Gabrielle
Shaw, chief executive officer for the National Association for People
Abused in Childhood, told the Guardian: 'We have lifted the lid on a
hidden problem, now survivors are coming forward in large numbers.
Investigation: The Goddard inquiry,
chaired by Dame Lowell Goddard (pictured), a New Zealand Judge, will
examine how public bodies handled their duty of care to protect children
from abuse
'These people were failed by institutions in childhood. They deserve to be heard now.'
Mr
Bailey's comments about the scale of alleged abuse claims come after
criticism of the police following the Operation Midland debacle.
In
March this year, the £2 million, 16-month police inquiry into
historical child abuse was shut down without any charges being brought.
Officers
had earlier claimed the accusations against figures including former
Conservative MP Harvey Proctor and head of the Army, D-Day hero Lord
Bramall, were credible and true.
There
were calls for three of the country's most senior police officers to
resign, after no charges were brought against any of the former
government officers, politicians or military officers said to be
involved.
