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This page contains press release 34/05, in which the MPA's child protection expert says protecting children must be top priority.
Warning: This is archived material and may be out of date. The Metropolitan Police Authority has been replaced by the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPC).
See the MOPC website for further information.
Protecting children must be top priority, says police authority’s child protection expert
34/05
30 June 2005
The protection and prevention of abuse of children must be the overriding priority of police and all other relevant agencies, Richard Sumray, the Metropolitan Police Authority’s lead on child protection, said.
“It was abundantly clear as a result of the death of Victoria Climbié that we had not been engaging constructively with many of the communities in London, both in understanding the nature of child abuse, what we mean by it and how we handle it.
“Where child abuse occurs, we have to come in very strong and very hard in order to protect children. But it is also incumbent on the Metropolitan Police and us to engage communities so that we can reach better understandings about the nature of child abuse.”
Mr Sumray was speaking following the leaking of a Metropolitan Police and independent advisory group report into child protection issues among London’s black and minority ethnic communities, which identified 50% of the child victims of physical abuse and neglect as coming from black and minority ethnic groups.
“The damage that has been done through sensationalising this issue is that faith leaders and churches as a whole have been blamed for abusing children in ways that are untrue and stigmatise unfairly.
“The fundamental thing we need to build on is the protection of children, and there is an absolute determination among all groups and communities to protect children. In particular, I commend the Metropolitan Police Service for its work in this area.”
He added:
"The way forward is to work very closely both with the Met’s Safeguarding Children Independent Advisory Group and with all of the other agencies involved, including social care, local authorities, health, education, and the voluntary agencies such as Barnardo’s and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.
“What was striking in the leaked report was the lack of trust in both the statutory and voluntary agencies. If we are going to be able to work with communities it is incumbent on agencies working together to develop that trust.”
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