Britain's equivalent to the FBI is to investigate allegations that police officers sexually abused grooming victims. Five women who were exploited by grooming gangs as children have said they were also abused by police officers in Rotherham in the 1990s to early 2000s.

South Yorkshire Police initially said it would look at the claims, but has faced calls to be removed from the investigation in the interests of transparency. Now the force has asked the National Crime Agency to take on the the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) directed investigation.

The force said the move was "to ensure the victim survivors in this deeply sensitive operation remain at the heart of our actions, and have trust and confidence in the investigation."

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