Operation Linden
Operation Linden is a wide-ranging and detailed series of investigations into how South Yorkshire Police responded to allegations of child sexual abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013. It is the second largest operation - after Hillsborough - we, or our predecessor, the IPCC, has ever carried out.
Throughout the investigations, our priority has always been the welfare of the survivors, who have shown incredible bravery in coming forward and throughout the whole process.
On this page you will find more information about Operation Linden, including links to the report, executive summary and our learning recommendations.
Operation Linden at a glance
Our overarching report, published in 2022, covered 91 investigations which included 265 separate allegations made by 51 complainants, 44 of whom were survivors of abuse and exploitation. Their experiences, and their bravery in sharing them, helped shine a spotlight on past mistakes and bring about much-needed change within policing.
Publications
The overarching report, includes findings and summaries from 91 investigations started between 2014 and 2018, the last of which was completed in 2020.
You can also download the full report as a PDF file, or the plain text version.
The executive summary was published alongside the overarching report and provides an overview of the 91 investigations, the outcomes and the issues we identified.
You can download the executive summary as a PDF file, or click here for the HTML version.
Our Operation Linden fact sheet contains all the key facts and figures relating to these investigations, in an easy to understand format. Click here to download the PDF file.
Our investigations found police must do more to support survivors of child sexual abuse and listen to their experiences. Learning identified as part of our investigations is a vital tool to drive real change within policing and ensure past mistakes are not repeated.
In November 2021, we published our learning report, which includes details of 12 recommendations made to organisations including South Yorkshire Police and the College of Policing, to address issues we found during Operation Linden.
You can download a PDF copy of the learning report, or click here to read the HTML version.
All of our recommendations, and the responses to them, have been published on our website. This includes one further recommendation issued after the learning report was published. Click here to read more.