An inquiry into how British child killer Ian Huntley slipped through the police's intelligence net has revealed a "deeply shocking" catalogue of errors.
Inquiry chairman Sir Michael Bichard called on the Chief Constable of Humberside Police, Mr David Westwood to take "personal responsibility" for a host of "very serious failings" in his force.
Report into how Huntley slipped through police intelligence reveals catalogue of errors
It was impossible to guarantee that other sexual deviants had not escaped officers' attention because intelligence systems were so shambolic, said Sir Michael.
The crucial shortcoming was the inability of police in England and Wales to share information, it found.
The report proposed a new "passport" system for registering people who work with children and vulnerable adults. The new register could grant a licence or card to workers who pass stringent vetting, and should be constantly updated, said Sir Michael.
He also urged the Home Office to consider earmarking urgent funds to prop up the "ageing" Police National Computer and set up a new national intelligence system.
The chairman said the failure "contrasts sharply with the progress made in Scotland", where a single intelligence database will be available by every Scottish police officer by the end of the year.
While he ruled that none of the errors uncovered led directly to the deaths of 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in Soham, Cambridgeshire, in 2002, Sir Michael said: "The inquiry did find errors, omissions, failures and shortcomings which are deeply shocking.
"Taken together, these were so extensive that one cannot be confident that it was Huntley alone who 'slipped through the net'."
The 200-page report spared none of the parties involved with Huntley, or the criminal justice system at large, for criticism.