In June 2015
Operation Winter Key was set up by the
Metropolitan Police (Met), absorbing earlier Met operations including
Operation Yewtree and
Operation Fairbank. Allegations referred to the Met by Operation Hydrant were handled by Winter Key. By March 2019 Winter Key had cost £20 million. By February 2020, some 7,000 suspects had been identified, with 11,346 allegations of assaults from 9,343 victims. Some allegations dated back to the 1940s and all concerned child sexual abuse. The investigations produced the following outcomes: Allegations where no further action was taken were broken down into the following percentages: Commenting on what the police had discovered, the head of Operation Hydrant, Chief Constable
Simon Bailey said: "[as a society] we are going to have to recognise and accept that during the 1970s and 1980s in particular, there was widespread sexual abuse of children taking place", adding that the vast majority of cases were never reported due to lack of victims' faith in the authorities, and the abuse of power. Regarding the impact of the abuse he said, "Some could not cope. ... Some victims committed suicide. Some coped, some are in the mental care system. The horrors bestowed on these children are horrific." Gabrielle Shaw of the National Association for People Abused in Childhood said, "We know from what victims and survivors tell us that being able to report what happened to the police is healing for many people, sometimes even when a case cannot be pursued. Thirty-five percent of offenders brought to justice for non-recent abuse is very encouraging." == See also ==