VICTIMS of the Rotherham grooming gangs were also targeted by police officers, it has been claimed.
A criminal has been launched after five women alleged they were sexually abused by cops.
Three arrests have been made following the accusations, which claim that the abuse by serving officers occurred between the mid-90s and early 2000s.
This would coincide with the same period of time that hundreds of children were being in Rotherham.
A report by Professor Alexis Jay in 2014 revealed Asian were allowed to prey on young white girls between 1997 and 2013.
But now, it has been claimed that girls as young as 11 were also targeted by cops, with many abused in their teens.
According to a BBC report , some officers were even accused of working alongside the grooming gangs, by refusing to act on their sickening behaviour or by supplying them with .
Testimony from the women has revealed horror stories, including one officer who allegedly had sex with girls in exchange for rewards such as or drugs.
One of the victims, referred to as Willow, claims she was targeted by two officers after initially being abused by hundreds of men over a five year period.
Willow claims one particular officer would pick her up in a marked car and threaten to contact the gangs if she didn’t have sex with him.
She told the BBC: “He knew where we used to hang out, he would request either oral sex or rape us in the back of the car.
“I would rather be raped once, or give one man oral sex, than to be taken somewhere where I know it’d be 15... 20 guys one after another.
“That was just easier.”
In bombshell allegations, she claimed that PC Hassan Ali raped her.
She added: “The first time, he literally said, ‘you do it for the other officer. So you’re gonna do it for me’.”
Another victim claimed she had been beaten up by officers in a police cell, with two others suffering similar abuse.
Testimonies from 17 victims were handed to South Police, who confirmed three officers had been arrested in relation to these accusations.
Assistant Chief Constable Hayley Barnett said: “Victims and survivors have been and continue to be at the heart of this investigation and all of our actions continue to be made in their best interests.
“We have a dedicated team of detectives working on this case who have worked diligently to explore all lines of enquiry.
“This has led to three arrests. One of those former officers remains on police bail pending further enquiries.
“The other two have been released from bail while the investigation continues.”
The force has called in agents from the National Agency for the extensive probe into their own officers.
And the police watchdog, the IOPC, is overseeing the investigation.
Chief Constable Barnett added: “We know how hard it must be for a victim or survivor who has been so badly let down in the past, to put their faith into the South Yorkshire Police of today.
“We honour that trust with the utmost respect and care.
“The investigation is overseen by the IOPC, which has directed South Yorkshire Police to investigate on its behalf.
“In the interests of maintaining and building the trust and confidence of those who have been brave enough to come forward, we are also working closely with colleagues from the National Crime Agency, who bring with them significant expertise through Operation Stovewood to help us ensure we leave no stone unturned.”
Child abuse legal firm, Switalskis Solicitors, is working with the victims to bring a separate civil claim against the force.
Amy Clowrey, who works for the law firm, slammed a “lack of accountability” in the town.
Child sexual exploitation in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, was at epidemic levels from as early as the 1980s before being exposed in 2012.
The Times journalist Andrew Norfolk revealed the vast scale of child protection failings in the town - saying the police and social services knew of but did little about the danger Asian grooming gangs posed.
Prof Jay’s report found that at least 1,400 children, most of them white girls aged 11-15, had been sexually abused in the South Yorkshire town by predominantly British-Pakistani men.
Police, , social workers and other authorities largely turned a blind eye on the abuse, the report said, out of fear of being branded racist.
It added that horrific rape, threats, violence, and child pregnancies, miscarriages and abortions were rife.
Rotherham’s entire Council executive resigned, as did its Director of Child Services and the Police and Crime Commissioner for South Yorkshire police.
A 2015 government report by Louise Casey into Rotherham Council found that and intimidation by council staff led to a silencing of whistleblowers and was it “not fit for purpose”.
