The Rochdale grooming gang
Reversed the decision not to prosecute and secured convictions in a case that reshaped child protection nationally. Dramatised by the BBC as Three Girls.
Lawyer · Chancellor · Author · Speaker
Nazir Afzal OBE
Chief Crown Prosecutor for North West England, now Chancellor of the University of Manchester. More than thirty years in criminal justice, safeguarding and institutional reform.
Chancellor
The University of Manchester
30+
Years in criminal justice
100,000
Prosecutions overseen each year
2
Published books
OBE
Awarded by the Queen, 2005
Announcement
Leading Part One of the University of Cambridge independent review
The University of Cambridge has announced an independent review following the death of Professor Jason Arday. Nazir Afzal OBE will lead Part One, examining the support available to Professor Arday before his death, reporting…
4 September 2026
Who he is
Thirty years in criminal justice.
Nazir Afzal was Chief Crown Prosecutor for North West England and a Director in London, responsible for more than 100,000 prosecutions a year.
He reversed the decision not to prosecute the Rochdale grooming gang and secured convictions in a case that changed child protection in this country. It was later dramatised by the BBC as Three Girls. He led nationally on violence against women and girls, child sexual abuse and honour-based violence, and went on to serve as Chief Executive of the country's Police & Crime Commissioners and National Adviser to the Welsh Government.
He now chairs the safeguarding bodies of both the Church of England and the Catholic Church, serves as Chancellor of the University of Manchester and Chair of The Lowry, and conducts independent reviews of culture and conduct for national organisations.
Appointments
Current roles.
Roles held alongside a continuing programme of independent reviews, keynotes and charitable work.
Chancellor
The University of Manchester
The largest single-site university in the UK.
Chair
The Lowry Theatre
Known as the National Theatre of the North.
Chair
Church of England National Safeguarding Panel
Independent oversight of national safeguarding policy.
First Independent Chair
Catholic Church's Safeguarding Agency
Led the transformation of the church's approach to safeguarding.
Board Member
Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority
Standards and conduct across the creative industries.
Strategic Adviser
The People's Powerhouse & Bikal Technologies
Regional inclusive growth and applied technology.
Patron & Trustee
ServiceSix, the Samantha Sykes Foundation and others
Charitable work across victim support and youth services.
Selected work
Cases, reviews and inquiries.
Violence against women and girls
National lead on honour-based violence, forced marriage and female genital mutilation, driving prosecution policy and legislative change.
London Fire Brigade culture review
Independent review of culture and conduct at the London Fire Brigade, described at the time as groundbreaking.
Nursing & Midwifery Council review
Independent review of culture and safeguarding practice at the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Working class representation in the creative industries
A national inquiry into access and progression in the creative sector, received to widespread acclaim.
Rule of law with the United Nations
Chaired justice conferences in New York, Madrid, Geneva and Oslo; listed as an expert speaker by the EU and Council of Europe.
Press
What has been written.
“The authentic face of British justice.”
“An inspiring figure, forensically intelligent.”
“Issues that rarely troubled a courtroom have risen to the top of the policy agenda.”
Books
The Prosecutor and The Race to the Top.
Available from all good booksellers.
The Prosecutor
One Man’s Pursuit of Justice for the Voiceless
His memoir, covering the cases he prosecuted and the career that took him from the Crown Prosecution Service to national leadership.
The Race to the Top
Structural Racism and How to Fight It
Written with interviews from more than 100 leading public figures, on where structural racism persists and what actually shifts it.
Writing & interviews
Recent writing.
Leading Part One of the University of Cambridge independent review
The University of Cambridge has announced an independent review following the death of Professor Jason Arday. Nazir Afzal OBE will lead Part One, examining…
ReadFull Disclosure with James O’Brien: the man who prosecuted the Rochdale grooming gang
An interview with James O’Brien about the Rochdale prosecution. Listen to the interview on LBC
ReadA Muslim prosecutor in Britain, fighting forced marriages and honour crimes
I come from these communities. I understand their patriarchal nature. I can challenge them. And because I am a man, the men in the…
Read