Stop tip-toeing around race of grooming gangs, say MPs: Committee says police and prosecutors must be able to raise issue without being accused of racism Report found trend of Pakistani men grooming white girls does exist Commons home affairs committee warned against stereotyping offenders Said no straightforward link between race and sexual exploitation MPs warned against stereotyping offenders but said a trend of Pakistani men grooming young white girls does exist Public officials must stop "tip-toeing" around race when tackling child sex gangs, MPs said last night. A dangerous trend of Pakistani men grooming young white girls does exist, according to a Commons home affairs committee report. Police, prosecutors and social workers must be able to raise the issue without fear of being accused of racism, the committee said. But it warned against stereotyping offenders because there is no straightforward link between race and child sexual exploitation. In shocking conclusions to a year-long inquiry, MPs said there were still areas where victims were being failed by the authorities. They accused councils in Rochdale and Rotherham of being "inexcusably slow" to realise sex abuse was taking place on their doorstep. And they said both councils had a "woeful lack of professional curiosity" and were responsible for the "appalling consequences of their indifference to the suffering of vulnerable children." Writing in the report, MPs said: "There is no simple link between race and child sexual exploitation." However, as the Mail has frequently highlighted, they add: "Evidence presented to us suggests there is a model of localised grooming of Pakistani-heritage men targeting young white girls. This must be acknowledged by official agencies who, we were concerned to hear in some areas of particular community tension, had reportedly been slow to draw attention to the issue for fear of affecting community cohesion. The condemnation from those communities of this vile crime should demonstrate that there is no excuse for tip-toeing around this issue. It is important that police, social workers and others be able to raise their concerns freely, without fear of being labelled racist. Last month seven Oxford men, mostly of Pakistani heritage, were convicted at the Old Bailey of running an appalling paedophile sex ring. Abusers: The men who took part in a child sex ring in Rochdale which exploited vulnerable teenage girls (Top row left to right) Abdul Rauf, Hamid Safi, Mohammed Sajid and Abdul Aziz. (Bottom row left to right) Abdul Qayyum, Adil Khan, Mohammed Amin and Kabeer Hassan Keith Vaz said protecting vulnerable children should be the 'first priority' The case followed another, almost exactly 12 months earlier, in which nine Asian men based in Rochdale were involved. In both crimes, teenage girls, most of whom were vulnerable and in care, were picked up in the street and at takeaways and groomed for sex with gifts of drugs and alcohol. The committee called on the Government to introduce special courts to ensure child sex attackers are brought to justice. It said vulnerable victims deserve better treatment and demanded the Ministry of Justice act quickly to protect them. The committee highlighted how some young victims found the trial of their abusers more harrowing than their crimes. Some vulnerable victims were subjected to marathon cross-examinations by teams of aggressive defence barristers. On one occasion bungling staff showed the face of a victim to everyone in court, despite the judge ordering only an audio link was needed. Committee chairman Keith Vaz said: "Protection of these vulnerable children must be our first priority." A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "We constantly look for new ways to support and protect vulnerable witnesses when appearing in court."