Operation Stovewood – the NCA’s investigation into child sexual abuse in Rotherham

Operation Stovewood is the single largest law enforcement investigation into non-familial child sexual exploitation and abuse in the UK.

Led by the National Crime Agency, our officers are investigating allegations of abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.

Stovewood began back in 2014 when the NCA was formally asked to lead an independent investigation by the Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police. The request followed an independent review of the management of child sexual exploitation by agencies in South Yorkshire by Professor Alexis Jay.

More than 100 officers are still working on the investigation to deliver justice for the victims. Many of those officers are based at sites in South Yorkshire. To date, we have identified around 1,150 potential victims. More than 220 people have been arrested or attended a police station voluntarily, of which 39 have been convicted. Those already sentenced have been jailed for a total of around 470 years. A number more people await trial.

The full Terms of Reference for the investigation can be found here.

Our priorities:

Operation Stovewood is a unique and unprecedented investigation with hundreds of potential victims.

It is those victims who are the focus of the investigation, and our first priority is to provide them with the best possible support and advice, often through working with our partners.

Our second priority is seek to identify and bring offenders to justice, prioritising those who may still be active in Rotherham or elsewhere today and those who have caused most harm in the past.

Our third priority is to work with local partners and communities to rebuild public confidence in agencies. We know many victims feel let down by their experiences previously. We aim to do the best we can to rectify that.

In November 2023 the NCA announced Operation Stovewood was moving into a new phase. Reports of child sexual abuse in Rotherham should be made to South Yorkshire Police by calling 101.

You can also read about South Yorkshire Police's work to tackle child sexual exploitation on their website.