The Police Service of Northern Ireland has said it could find no evidence of grooming gang activity in the Antrim and Newtownabbey area after a report listed the council among 85 UK areas with historic child sexual exploitation cases.

The report, authored by MP Rupert Lowe and titled The Rape Gang Report, includes Antrim and Newtownabbey by name but provides no further details. A PSNI spokesperson noted the force itself was not within the scope of the report.

Chief Inspector Ciara Mullan said the service had carried out a thorough examination of records spanning many years and found no evidence of the kind of grooming gangs described in the document. She added that the PSNI planned to contact the report’s authors to establish why the area was included.

Mullan stressed that the service takes the wider issues raised seriously and has engaged with key stakeholders to explain its position. She emphasised that child exploitation in any form is child abuse and remains a national concern.

The PSNI appealed for anyone with concerns to come forward, saying early identification of at-risk children and disruption of offenders are central to its approach. Parents, guardians, carers, teachers and community members were urged to familiarise themselves with the signs of exploitation.

Information and advice are available on the PSNI website.