Operation Hydrant
Operation Hydrant is a British police investigation into allegations of "non-recent" child sexual abuse. It co-ordinates a number of other investigations by police forces throughout the United Kingdom.[1][2] It is headed by Simon Bailey, the Chief Constable of Norfolk Constabulary.[3] It began after the Jimmy Savile sexual abuse scandal prompted more victims to come forward.[4]
Progress
In May 2015, Operation Hydrant had information on "1433 suspects of which 216 are deceased, 666 suspects related to institutions, 261 classified as people of public prominence, [of which] 506 are classified as unidentified, [and] 357 institutions have been identified within the scope of the operation".[3]
By December 2015, there were 2,228 suspects under investigation, of whom 302 are classified as of "public prominence", (including 99 politicians and 147 celebrities from the media), and 1,217 operated within institutions (including 86 religious institutions, 39 medical establishments, 25 prisons/young offenders institutes, 22 sports venues, 10 community institutions, 81 other institutions such as guest houses, and 6 unknown).[5] 286 were dead, and 554 classified as unknown or unidentified. Of the prominent suspects, 39 were from the music industry and 17 from the world of sport.
In July 2019, the BBC reported: "Some 7,396 possible crimes on its database have now had a final outcome. Of those 2,043 - or 29% - ended in a conviction."[6]
Figures released in February 2020
In February 2020 the following statistics relating to allegations of abuse were released:
| Category | Number of allegations | Note |
|---|---|---|
| No further action by police | 5,284[4] | In over a third of these cases the suspect was dead.[4] |
| Conviction in court | 4,024[4] | |
| No further action by CPS | 1,313[4] | |
| Acquittal in court | 719[4] | |
| Caution | 10[4] | |
| Total | 11,346[4] |
References
- ^ "Update on Operation Hydrant child sex abuse investigations". Police Scotland. May 2015.
- ^ Sandra Laville (20 May 2015). "1,400 investigated in child sex abuse inquiry, including politicians". The Guardian.
- ^ a b "Over 1400 suspects investigated for child sexual abuse by people of public prominence, or within institutions". National Police Chiefs' Council. 20 May 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Dodd, Vikram (5 February 2020). "Police uncovering 'epidemic of child abuse' in 1970s and 80s". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
- ^ "Operation Hydrant: UK police identify 2,228 child abuse suspects". BBC News. British Broadcasting Company. 1 December 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
- ^ Reed, Jim (26 July 2019). "Were police too quick to believe historical sex abuse claims?". BBC News. British Broadcasting Company. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
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