“These allegations will be examined by Operation Clifton, a criminal investigation launched by GMP in July 2014, into how previous reports of child sexual abuse were handled or allegedly covered up.
“Clearly there are people who are willing to talk to the media but who have not yet spoken to police.
“I want to make an appeal for anyone who has information about the way the authorities including Greater Manchester police dealt with reports of child abuse to come forward.
“I also appeal to victims who suffered abuse in care homes and other institutions who made complaints then or have suffered in silence and not reported what they went through to consider contacting the police or indeed one of the children’s or survivors charities.
“GMP has allocated considerable resources to Operation Clifton, and we are committed to investigate all the allegations as best we can.
“As part of Operation Clifton we have already interviewed a large number of people and still have numerous enquiries to undertake. We are speaking to everyone no matter what status they have held or still hold to get to the truth.
“Greater Manchester Police has no interest in covering up any of these issues and indeed many of the current members of the Force were not serving at the time when some of this is alleged to have occurred.
“It is also important to note that the inquiry has the benefit of an independent scrutiny group, who will provide a high degree of scrutiny throughout the investigation.
“I urge those who have information to call the incident room on 0161 856 0310, the Police and Crime Commissioner’s office or the Independent Police Complaints Commission.”
