The government’s renewed focus on child sexual exploitation (CSE) gangs is overdue, and the new national inquiry recommended by Louise Casey must deliver justice, not just headlines. All child sexual abuse is horrifying. But the extreme sexual violence and financial incentives involved in gang-based offending demand special scrutiny. So do the institutional failures by police and councils, particularly in northern England, where numerous gangs operated.

Past inquiries have exposed these institutional breakdowns. They have also shown that a reluctance to inflame racial tensions played a role in the way that some complaints were mishandled. That doesn’t excuse the inaction – nor justify turning a public safety issue into a culture war.

It is arguable that the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse was too broad, while implementation of its recommendations has been too slow. Given such deficiencies, it was right that the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, apologised to victims on Monday. The National Crime Agency’s new role in investigating........

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