No police officers will be disciplined despite failing to properly investigate the systematic rape and abuse of young girls in Rochdale, it was revealed today. Seven Greater Manchester Police officers were served with misconduct notices but after a four year investigation six were given 'management advice' and one was allowed to retire. The Rochdale scandal saw hundreds of vulnerable young girls fall into the hands of Asian grooming gangs because the authorities failed to protect them over at least six years. In 2012 nine Asian men were jailed for a total of 77 years for rape and trafficking after they preyed on girls as young as 13, plying them with drugs, alcohol and money before passing them round the group for sex. No further action: Seven police officers who were served with misconduct notices over the abuse scandal in Rochdale (pictured), will not face disciplinary action . A subsequent report said the girls were allowed to fall into the hands of Pakistani grooming gangs because police and social workers may have been scared of seeming racist. It sparked an investigation conducted by the force's professional standards branch, and supervised by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which today highlights a number of significant failures. Its report, published today, concludes that the officers placed too much emphasis on the credibility of the victims, and not enough on the crime. The seven officers investigated were interviewed about their decision-making, handling of investigations, and victim care. They were the former divisional Chief Supt, John O'Hare, a Superintendent, plus two Det Chief Inspectors, two Detective Inspectors, and one Sergeant. One Detective Inspector was found to have a case to answer for misconduct but retired before the inquiry could be completed. Nine men, including these eight, were jailed for a total of 77 years for rape and trafficking after they preyed on girls as young as 13-years-old . By the summer of 2013 force investigators had identified the Det Insp should attend a formal misconduct hearing but they left the force in January 2014. The investigation - titled Operation Span - exposed flaws across all agencies in response to the challenges associated with child sexual exploitation, including a lack of understanding of the complexity of the issue. Other failures were identified as issues, with information being shared across agencies that used different IT systems, GMP's focus being on addressing serious acquisitive crime, and officers not having the necessary skill set. It also said the 'churn' of staff at Rochdale, particularly in the inspecting ranks, meant that leadership of the issue could not be maintained, and there was little in the way of effective handover. Shame: The abuse of the jailed gang began at two takeaways in the Heywood area of Rochdale, including the Balti House (pictured), which is under new ownership . The investigation identified one detective sergeant who made individual errors in his handling of the investigation, but it found that he had raised concerns about a need for more resources but was not supported by his superiors. Others who were served notices included the former divisional chief superintendent, a superintendent, two detective chief inspectors, and two detective inspectors. They all received management action in respect of their performances. The report was split into two parts, one looking at the handling of the complaints made by two separate children, and the other looking into the wider decision-making by the Rochdale senior leadership . There were signs for many years that men were using vulnerable young girls in Rochdale for sex, but no action was taken. Here we highlight the failures. SOCIAL WORKERS . From the outset, social workers failed to regard the teenage girls being passed around for sex among a gang of Asian men as victims. That was despite more than 100 reports of abuse from the victims, health workers and elsewhere linked to men working in taxi and takeaway businesses dating back to 2004, and involving children as young as ten. Instead the girls were treated as their attackers treated them, 'like prostitutes'. Victims as young as ten were seen as 'making their own choice' and 'engaging in consensual sexual activity'. In one case a parent making a complaint was told his daughter was 'hanging out with a bad crowd'.As a result of this catastrophic  dereliction of duty, information was not systematically passed to the police, and the terrified victims were left at the mercy of a gang of violent sexual predators. POLICE . Just as social workers failed to protect the victims from the rapists preying on them, so the police failed for years to grasp the nettle and launch a serious investigation. As well as reports from social workers, Greater Manchester Police received 44 referrals from the NHS about the abuse. In 2009 one victim, known as 'Suzie', made a detailed complaint about the attacks. Arrests were made but the case was dropped by state prosecutors. It was not until a year later that a full investigation was launched. Police also failed to demand proper bail restrictions on the attackers. Even after the trial, the police refused to acknowledge the racial element of the crimes, saying it was wrong to get 'hung up on race and ethnicity issues'. CROWN PROSECUTION SERVICE . An early police investigation in 2009 was passed to prosecutors but astonishingly no action was taken. Instead a senior CPS prosecutor 'refused charge', claiming it was unlikely to lead to a successful trial. That was despite the existence of forensic evidence including DNA swabs from a victim's underwear. It was two years before that decision was overturned. Yesterday's report found prosecutors thought the main victim would be seen by the court as an unreliable witness, and blamed the cost of bringing the case and 'officer workload' for the decision. THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY . Members of the community would  have known about the abuse of white girls being carried out by Pakistani  men but did nothing to stop it. Jack Straw, the former Justice Secretary, said there was 'denial' around the issue. He said: 'These are small communities so people would have a rough idea that there is a group of men who are abusing white girls in this way. That has to be dealt with there, as well as much more effective police and social services action.'
Seven police officers were served with misconduct notices over scandal . Six were given 'management advice' and one was allowed to retire . Police failed to properly investigate the abuse and support the victims . Hundreds of young girls were abused by predominantly-Pakistani gangs . Nine men were jailed but victims say abusers are still walking free .