Met Police Review Uncovers 4,000 Potential Grooming Gang Cases in London, Contradicting Khan's Earlier Denials

A Metropolitan Police audit has identified more than 4,000 potential child sexual exploitation cases across London that may require reopening, stemming from around 12,000 reports since 2010 where roughly one in three were previously closed with no further action by police or prosecutors. These cases have been referred to the National Crime Agency's Operation Beaconport for assessment. The development directly challenges statements made by London Mayor Sadiq Khan in January 2025 before the London Assembly, where he claimed there was 'no indication' of grooming gangs in the capital and questioned the terminology when pressed by Conservative assembly member Susan Hall. Official sources confirm Operation Beaconport, launched in response to Baroness Casey's recommendations, is reviewing group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation cases nationwide from 2010 to March 2025, with 1,273 cases referred by 23 forces so far, including priority rape allegations. The Telegraph and other outlets report the London-specific findings follow broader institutional scrutiny of past handling of such crimes, including incomplete ethnicity recording in two-thirds of cases historically. Critics, including Hall, have labeled the prior position as inadequate given the scale of identified files. NCA documentation emphasizes prioritizing victim voices and reinvestigating prematurely closed cases where suspects remain alive.