Cost details are yet to be announced, though comparisons are drawn to Operation Stovewood in Rotherham, which cost about £89 million over 11 years.

Operation Beaconport, led by the National Crime Agency, is a nationwide review of alleged grooming gang exploitation spanning cases from early 2010 to March 2025, reassessing whether prior investigations were handled properly.

So far, about 1,273 files from 23 police forces have been referred to the review, with 236 deemed priority due to rape-related allegations, and the process covers a broad timespan.

The review aims to identify human errors and failures in investigative practice that may have led to cases being closed with no further action, including unpursued lines of inquiry and inadequate handling of victims and suspects.

Investigations under Beaconport will flag dangerous suspects and those at risk of fleeing, emphasizing trauma-informed, honest, and transparent communication with victims.

The scheme is a collaboration among the NCA, the Child Sexual Exploitation taskforce, and the Tackling Organised Exploitation program, with costs and full implementation details still to be disclosed.

There is concern that reinvestigations may reopen past cases and that evidence can degrade over time, complicating efforts to right past wrongs even when errors are identified.

The Home Secretary has publicly supported Beaconport, affirming accountability and stating there will be no hiding places for abusers.

Some investigations did not follow proper practice, including failing to pursue lines of inquiry, not capturing victim accounts effectively, and inadequate suspect interviews.

Officials stress that not all reinvestigations will yield criminal justice outcomes; some victims may seek acknowledgment and to feel heard as a form of justice, while learning and transparency remain central.

Beaconport is described as the most comprehensive UK investigation of its kind, though many cases will remain unresolved due to factors like vanished offence locations and limited forensic evidence.

Cases will be reassessed by Home Office–funded officers, with potential escalation to professional standards bodies or the Independent Office for Police Conduct if misconduct is found.