Under consideration PE2247: Mandate Police Scotland to collect data on nationality, religion, ethnicity, asylum status and instances of gang based abuse

Background information

I previously lodged petition PE2208 calling for mandatory collection and publication of child sexual offender data. The petition was closed as Police Scotland was working to align recording systems to capture nationality data for suspects; the issue of data collection is being considered in the work being done by the national child sexual abuse and exploitation strategic group; and the Scottish Government committed to establishing a public inquiry into Scotland’s response to group-led child sexual abuse and exploitation. Police Scotland indicated that it intended to capture data on nationality, but not religion, ethnicity or asylum status. It also indicated that it was not intending to flag gang-based abuse.

Police Scotland has subsequently advised me that it may take up to three years before it gathers data on nationality.

I believe Police Scotland not collecting, communicating or publishing this data reliably means that grooming gangs of predominantly Pakistani heritage (and others) are invisible in Scotland.

On 1 June 2026 there was a Westminster Hall debate on a petition on child sexual offender data. The petition gained significant public support.