FGM must be classed as child abuse - not seen as a race issue, says top police officer GMP's head of safeguarding tells national conference in Manchester that female genital mutilation is a 'truly heinous crime'
Genital mutilation of girls in Greater Manchester must be treated as child abuse - not a cultural issue, a top police officer has warned.
Det Chf Supt Vanessa Jardine, GMP's head of safeguarding, was speaking at a national conference taking place in Manchester today on female genital mutilation, FGM.
Two-thousand girls in Greater Manchester are believed to be at risk of undergoing the procedure - either in the UK or after being flown abroad during school holidays.