Abusers often family members and other children, police say

According to the new police figures, last year’s offenders declared their ethnicity in a third of the complex child abuse cases on its database.

Of these, 85% said they were white and 6% Asian.

On a visit to Essex Police on Monday, Home Secretary James Cleverly repeated that “grooming gangs are a problem”.

“We have never suggested they are the only problem,” he said, stressing the importance of looking at all the possible ways in which children are harmed.

Gabrielle Shaw, chief executive of the National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC), said the government’s narrative risked making thousands of victims who were not abused by grooming gangs think: “I don’t count, my abuse doesn’t matter.”

“To frame it like that is not great. We need to change that narrative to reach out to the people who haven’t yet sought the support that they need.”

Only 13% of people who said they had been abused have reported it to the police, according to NAPAC research.

“A trust deficit remains,” said Ms Shaw.

While police forces directly investigate allegations, the Child Exploitation Task Force reviews cases and trains officers to work with victims of abuse to ensure they support prosecutions.