Top detective blasts 'culture of silence' that allows Muslim sex gangs to groom white girls... because police and social services fear being branded racist.
Police and social services have been accused of fuelling a culture of silence which has allowed hundreds of young white girls to be exploited by Asian men for sex.
Agencies have identified a long-term pattern of offending by gangs of men, predominantly from the British Pakistani community, who have befriended and abused hundreds of vulnerable girls aged 11 to 16.
Experts claim the statistics represents a mere fraction of a 'tidal wave' of offending in counties across the Midlands and the north of England which has been going on for more than a decade.
A senior officer at West Mercia police has called for an end to the 'damaging taboo' connecting on-street grooming with race.
Detective Chief Inspector Alan Edwards said: 'These girls are being passed around and used as meat.
'To stop this type of crime you need to start everyone talking about it but everyone's been too scared to address the ethnicity factor.
'No one wants to stand up and say that Pakistani guys in some parts of the country are recruiting young white girls and passing them around their relatives for sex, but we need to stop being worried about the racial complication.'
In a briefing paper, researchers at University College London's Jill Dando Institute of Security and Crime Science concurred that victims were typically white girls while 'most central offenders are Pakistani'.
The offenders were not viewed as pedophiles but had picked the girls 'because of their malleability'.
The report concluded that 'race is a delicate issue' that should be 'handled sensitively but not brushed under the carpet'.
The grooming usually begins with older groups of men befriending girls aged from 11 to 16 they meet on the street.
In a typical scenario, the victim is initially treated as a girlfriend and showered with presents and attention.
But the relationship quickly becomes more sinister as the abuser plies the child with drink and drugs before effectively pimping her out to friends and associates.
The worst cases involve young girls being moved around the country to be repeatedly abused.
Charities and agencies working in conjunction with the police to help victims of sexual abuse in such cases have publicly denied there is a link between ethnicity and the on-street grooming of young girls by gangs and pimps.
Police and social services have been accused of fuelling a culture of silence which has allowed hundreds of young white girls to be exploited by Asian men for sex.
Agencies have identified a long-term pattern of offending by gangs of men, predominantly from the British Pakistani community, who have befriended and abused hundreds of vulnerable girls aged 11 to 16.
Experts claim the statistics represents a mere fraction of a 'tidal wave' of offending in counties across the Midlands and the north of England which has been going on for more than a decade.
A senior officer at West Mercia police has called for an end to the 'damaging taboo' connecting on-street grooming with race.
Detective Chief Inspector Alan Edwards said: 'These girls are being passed around and used as meat.
'To stop this type of crime you need to start everyone talking about it but everyone's been too scared to address the ethnicity factor.
'No one wants to stand up and say that Pakistani guys in some parts of the country are recruiting young white girls and passing them around their relatives for sex, but we need to stop being worried about the racial complication.'
In a briefing paper, researchers at University College London's Jill Dando Institute of Security and Crime Science concurred that victims were typically white girls while 'most central offenders are Pakistani'.
The offenders were not viewed as pedophiles but had picked the girls 'because of their malleability'.
The report concluded that 'race is a delicate issue' that should be 'handled sensitively but not brushed under the carpet'.
The grooming usually begins with older groups of men befriending girls aged from 11 to 16 they meet on the street.
In a typical scenario, the victim is initially treated as a girlfriend and showered with presents and attention.
But the relationship quickly becomes more sinister as the abuser plies the child with drink and drugs before effectively pimping her out to friends and associates.
The worst cases involve young girls being moved around the country to be repeatedly abused.
Charities and agencies working in conjunction with the police to help victims of sexual abuse in such cases have publicly denied there is a link between ethnicity and the on-street grooming of young girls by gangs and pimps.
