The SNP U-turn on holding an inquiry into grooming gangs should be followed by accepting that a wider public investigation into child safeguarding is also needed, writes Herald columnist John McLellan

My 1998 Chambers Dictionary definition of  the definition of ‘groom’ is all about horses, weddings and being trained for high office or stardom, but as evidence of how quickly vocabulary evolves in the digital age there is no mention of the preparation of vulnerable young people for sexual exploitation.

Its definition of ‘gang’ starts with “a band of roughs or criminals; a number of people or animals associating together…” and although the language may sound antiquated, the gist is the same today.

Put the two together and most people who have not been living in a cave for the past few years understand that a grooming gang is a group of men preying on teenagers for their sexual gratification and that of their friends and associates. Notoriously, in some grim post-industrial towns in the North of England it involved mostly Muslim men abusing mainly white girls, and suspicions were ignored in case there were accusations of racism.

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Now the Scottish Government has been forced to launch a public inquiry into the prevalence of organised child sexual abuse and exploitation here, what defines ‘grooming’ and ‘gang’ will be key to agreeing the investigation’s remit and scope. To be led by child sexual abuse expert Prof........

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