Police warned of 'victim-blaming' over grooming

HUNDREDS of Scots children have fallen victim to grooming gangs over the past nine years, with police accused of targeting victims rather than offenders.

- By Ben Borland

Official Scottish Government figures show that 666 cases of "child sexual exploitation" (CSE) have been recorded since 2016, when the category was created on the Child Protection Register in the wake of the Rotherham grooming scandal.

Meanwhile, the Express can reveal a Police Scotland operation to crack down on offenders preying on vulnerable young people in Glasgow city centre works with the victims to “divert them from their current path”.

Operation Glacies, in partnership with Glasgow City Council, British Transport Police (BTP) and children's charities, is focused on the area around Glasgow Central Station,

Exploitation

including the so-called 'Four Corners' and the Hielanman's Umbrella.