Anyone who has ever had a teenage daughter will know how easy it is to explain to them that their latest boyfriend might not be perfect for them. The girls usually agree and go back to their homework.
In some areas, however, some of them managed to find ways to meet their boyfriends anyway. The parents knew that they could not be reasonably expected to give their daughters any kind of feeling of self-worth or make them feel valued, so they shrugged and called police.
Bizarrely, these unloved teenagers were noticed. There were people sitting on park benches eyeing little girls with bad intent. They gave the girls money, alcohol, drugs, jewellery, even though the girls made it clear they didn't want those things. They just wanted someone to love them.
The men couldn't believe their luck, and took advantage of the situation. They led the girls to think they were in relationships, that their parents were being really uncool by trying to control them. These girls, they said, were strong and powerful, while ensuring they were actually isolated and lost.
The police officers, teachers, social workers, parents all knew this was not good, but what was the crime? Talking to teenage girls is not illegal; grooming them for unlawful sexual activity is (I am neither police nor lawyer, so don't depend on my exact words). Buying children chips and cheese is not illegal, unless it is intended as a coercive and controlling measure. Even taking girls to your house to sleep is not illegal - if the police are notified that a child is a runaway and find them in a man's house with just the two of them present, there is still no crime. What happens is that the police take details of all present and, if they cannot conclude that the child is at risk of significant harm, it is the responsibility of a person with parental responsibility to obtain a court order to remove them from the premises. This can be tricky at two in the morning, but that is not the fault of the police.
This set up stinks. Children were harmed. I don't know the precise details, but I understand some girls were found half naked and intoxicated. Those aberrations should be thoroughly investigated.
The law evolves in response to changing times. The moment a new statute is enacted, peoplecare testing it for weaknesses and loopholes. My prejudices tell me that the privileged exploited loopholes for decades, wealth enabled deals to be done. Members of royal families, to pick an example at random, could avoidcwearing seatbelts or giving way at junctions. Members of rock bands could do strange things with groupies, chocolate bars and fish. Sometimes even drugs.
If a police officer is speaking to a girl of 14-15 who says she is with her friends and has not been coerced, for what crime does he make an arrest? I doubt anybody was happy with the situation, except the abusers, but I'd bet a pound to a pinch of snuff the police officers were dischuffed.
Child abuse exists. The police have corrupt officers, including senior ones. There are extraordinarily inept social workers, and wilfully blind councillors and other political beings. The girls, far from begging to be rescued, would have been doing their level best not to be. Like banging your head against a wall, you only notice how much it hurt when you stop. Money, drugs and alcohol, a lifestyle of swagger, ...
The police did not rape those children, nor did they stand idly by and watch. If anybody here knows better, please explain why you allowed it.