Greater Manchester police ‘failed children in the past’, says chief constable

Stephen Watson spoke of how force had dealt with grooming gangs and things that would not be done now'

One of the UK's biggest police forces has historically failed children and was borderline incompetent" in the way it previously dealt with organised grooming gangs, its current chief constable has said.

Stephen Watson, the head of Greater Manchester police, last week apologised in person to three women who were victims of gangs in Rochdale more than 10 years ago. It came with substantial" damages and after a long, attritional campaign to get the force to admit failures.