I quizzed Sadiq Khan on grooming gangs - but new letter has left me shocked

Today's letter to Sadiq Khan from the Commissioner will be shocking to Londoners and those beyond the capital, the severity of the problem of grooming gangs operating here, right under the noses of regional and national authorities is far worse than even I imagined. Like the public, I am shocked and appalled by the extent of the discovery, but we must now turn our attention to action - for the sake of victims and survivors.

Since January, I have repeatedly raised this issue of the existence of grooming gangs in London, to the Mayor and other authorities. I have been repeatedly stonewalled on this matter until the Commissioner finally accepted and admitted that these gangs indeed operated here in the capital, which he declared a couple of weeks ago in a meeting of the Police and Crime Committee.

No doubt the exposure by the Express of the presence of victims in HMICFRS reports dating back all the way to 2016 has put further pressure on authorities - at all levels - to look at this problem again, and this time to be honest and transparent about the scale of the issue.

As an Assembly Member, I have met with numerous victims and survivors of grooming gangs, who have told me their stories about the violence, fear, intimidation, and abuse they have faced by perpetrators who have seen no consequences for their actions. This cannot be allowed to continue, and my ongoing report into the crisis will look to expose further the extent to which this scourge has set its roots deep in the capital.

Today cannot be just another day. It cannot be another headline or announcement that is forgotten tomorrow by fast-moving press or disinterested producers. Today, we have been told in black and white about the true scale of the evil of grooming gangs in London. No one should be able to claim that they had no idea or pretend that this moment has passed them by. To do so would be an injustice to the survivors and amnesty to the perpetrators.

Those in positions of authority have a responsibility to the people who put them there to act in the interest of the greater good and the needs of the public. It is clear now that the need of the public is to see swift action against those who are carrying out, or who have carried out, these repeated abuses of vulnerable young people in London. I will continue to advocate for this from the London Assembly until every last victim has been heard and their suffering has been stopped. We cannot shy away from what needs to be done, least of all today.

As for the contempt shown to me by our Mayor Sadiq Khan for having the audacity to ask the very question - 'do we have rape gangs in London' - I will let Londoners take a view on that!