A South Yorkshire police officer has been given a final written warning for historic handling of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham.

On Tuesday 30 March 2021, DC Ian Hampshire was given a final written warning after a 2-day misconduct hearing. DC Hampshire admitted failing to adequately investigate allegations of abuse made by a teenage girl in 2007 that she had been raped by multiple men in Rotherham.

DC Hampshire is a serving police officer of 23 years with South Yorkshire Police. Allegations of his gross misconduct did not emerge until 2014 after an investigation into child sexual exploitation in the Rotherham area. It was noted during the hearing that DC Hampshire was a trainee detective at the time.

Later the same year, in August, an independent report by Professor Alexis Jay found that there had been an estimated 1,400 children who had been sexually abused by men in the Rotherham area, between 1997 and 2013. Despite information and reports made to South Yorkshire Police and Rotherham Council, no appropriate action was taken by either authority.

The disciplinary panel decided not to dismiss DC Hampshire, instead giving him a final written warning. They indicated that he should not be held personally accountable for the wider failings of SYP in dealing with child sexual exploitation (CSE) at the time. Switalskis represents more than 80 women who were abused in Rotherham as children during the period between 1997 and 2013.

As advocates for vulnerable, sexually-exploited children we see this decision as yet another abdication of responsibility by the authorities in Rotherham. No internal disciplinary action of note has resulted in either council officials, social workers or police officers losing their jobs as a result of the very serious mistakes made throughout this inexcusable period in Rotherham’s child protection history. This tribunal is essentially saying “The system was at fault and no-one else has lost their job so we shouldn’t sack this officer”. DC Hampshire’s mistakes were obvious and unforgiveable. His failures eroded public confidence in the force and may have led to further offending as perpetrators were not apprehended at the time in 2007. We do not yet know if they went on to abuse other children in Rotherham.

For more information please contact our Child Abuse Compensation department in confidence. Call 0800 138 4700 or email help@switalskis.com