Give grooming gangs no place to hide in Scotland

Swinney urged to act in step with new UK law

- BY HANNAH RODGER

JOHN Swinney has been urged to make it a criminal offence to not report the sexual abuse of children.

Labour MP Joani Reid has written to the First Minster, calling on him to consider making it mandatory for those working with children to report abuse, warning Scotland "is not immune" to grooming gangs.

Reid's letter comes as her party was accused of "watering down" probes into organised sexual exploitation of children in C England.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the assertions, made by Reform UK chief Nigel Farage and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, were wrong and the UK Government had increased the number of local inquiries.