Scouts say 
sorry for failings over abuse

The organisation admitted yesterday that it has paid out around £500,000 in compensation to abuse victims since October 2012.

“We apologise to all those who have been abused during their time in Scouting,” a spokesman said. “The safety and support of young people in Scouting is our number one priority.

“Any abuse of young people is abhorrent and we are deeply sorry for anybody hurt by the actions of abusers. We strive to ensure these abuses do not take place.”

The apology comes after the BBC reported on two historical cases of abuse. In both cases, the broadcaster said perpetrators were not reported to the police.

“Those were inappropriate and unacceptable responses to that situation, these were extremely rare incidences and this should not have happened. We deeply regret this failure,” the Scout Association spokesman said about the two cases.

But he said the organisation was confident that mistakes of the past would not be repeated.

“Where there is any evidence of wrongdoing, this information is automatically passed on to the police,” he said.

“This is in line with a clear written code of conduct that we have had in place for the last 20 years, which requires all adults in the movement to report suspected cases of abuse to the appropriate authorities.”