A new report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) accuses the force of significant delays in the investigation of child protection cases and unnecessarily holding children in custody overnight.
It says that police officers were overlooking the plight of children in domestic abuse cases and that there was an inconsistent approach to child sexual exploitation across the force.
The reports follows an inspection in July 2014 and highlights a number of specific examples where the police response was inadequate, including:
-Children whose welfare was not considered after they had witnessed their mother being strangled by an offender until she was unconscious.
-Deficient records kept of children who were held in custody.
- A three-month delay in interviewing a man suspected of raping his nine-year-old grandson.
-Seven months to analize the phone of an alleged offender said to have recorded the rape of two 14-year-old girls.
HMIC inspectors did acknowledge a series of improvements and they praised officers working on child abuse investigations for their dedication.
But they recommended urgent steps including a review of the way the force manages the detention of children.
The report follows severe criticism of the way Greater Manchester Police (GMP) handled child sex trafficking in Rochdale and other towns.
One victim told Sky News that one police officer called her a prostitute after she had complained about being raped by a man.
By Ruchi Singh
