National Crime Agency to take on investigation into officers accused of sexual abuse in Rotherham
South Yorkshire Police had faced accusations of a conflict of interest - after launching investigations into former staff
An investigation into allegations that South Yorkshire Police (SYP) officers took part in historic sexual exploitation in Rotherham will now be carried out by the National Crime Agency (NCA), the police watchdog has said.
Allegations that South Yorkshire Police's own officers took part in abuse in the town was being investigated by the force itself - a decision which was criticised because of a potential conflict of interest.
Five women have told the BBC how they were exploited by grooming gangs in the town when they were children and also sexually abused by officers.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said a decision had been made to transfer the investigation to the NCA after concerns about SYP's "involvement and perception of a conflict of interest".
"While we remain satisfied there was no conflict of interest with SYP, given none of the investigating officers worked with any of those under investigation nor were themselves investigated as part of Operation Linden, we believe that transferring the investigation to the NCA may provide further reassurance to victim-survivors," a spokesperson for the IOPC said.
So far, three former officers who worked for the force have been arrested.