COMMUNITY leaders and residents have joined forces to offer hope in the wake of disturbing allegations of sexual abuse of young girls from South Oxhey.

At a meeting in The Centre, Gosforth Lane, on Wednesday, they vowed to work together to create a safer community, following revelations a gang of men has been terrorising the estate.

Watford Rural parish councillors, officers from Hertfordshire Social Services, members of the clergy, representatives from South Oxhey First Residents Association and South Oxhey Regeneration Advisory Group will join Community Safety Inspector for Three Rivers Shakil Qasim and other interested parties in forming an action group to revive the estate.

The vicar of All Saints Church in Gosforth Lane, Rev Ann Douglas, said: 'We want to move on and take responsibility for this community.

'I'm not talking about vigilante groups or taking the law into our own hands, but encouraging each other, not criticising. Saying, together we want to make this a good place to live in.

'We just need the skills and experience from other communities to do it.'

Three Rivers district councillor Glyn Abraham, who represents the Hayling ward, added: 'We have reached a crossroads. We have to do something and do it quickly.'

More than 60 people attended the meeting, organised by the district council's Labour group to address residents' fears about the attacks.

Despite assurances by assistant director of Hertfordshire Social Services Mr Chris Burgon that the assaults were confined to a specific group of girls aged between 12 and 16, some residents still felt their children were at risk and they were being kept in the dark by police.

District councillor David Lake, who represents the Ashridge ward, wanted to know how the police and social services could be so sure the men would not target other girls on the estate.

Mr Burgon said he could not answer without revealing confidential information, but said: 'The investigating team has clearly established the abuse is limited to a specific number of girls and identified a specific group of men.'

He added: 'Contrary to what you have read in the papers, this has not been a situation where a gang of men has randomly assaulted a group of girls in South Oxhey.

'It would not have been appropriate to publicise it earlier without severely disrupting the police investigation.'

However, some residents claimed the gang had been prowling the estate years before last year's allegations. Director of social services for Three Rivers Mr Andrew Fraser said he had not been told of these incidents.

Details of the gang of sex attackers were reported to police and social services between September and November last year.

An operation was launched by the two authorities and the NSPCC to protect the victims and their families from intimidation and to catch the men. Police patrols were stepped up to gather more evidence and deter the attackers.

Plans were made to go public when not enough evidence was received to make an arrest.

Anyone with information relating to the assaults should call the Child Protection Investigation Unit on 01923 472220

lford@london.newsquest.co.uk

nThree Rivers Community Safety Team 01923 472112

nCommunity Safety Inspector for Three Rivers Shakil Qasim 01923 472127

nHertfordshire County Council Social Services 01923 471400

nNSPCC 0808 8005000