OPERATION Clyde was a massive investigation into sexual abuse at children's homes across Kirklees.
It spanned three years and led to three men being jailed.
It centred on allegations of abuse at 15 children's homes and two residential schools in Kirklees, stretching back to the 1960s.
It began in 1996 but the investigation soon snowballed.
During the inquiry police spoke to hundreds of family members, friends, former staff members and council officials.
By the end of the inquiry 2,226 people had been interviewed and police had made 42 arrests.
Disciplinary action was also taken against other employees of Kirklees Council and four were sacked.
An incident room was set up at Dewsbury police station which had 31 police officers working alongside 15 staff from the NSPCC and other child protection organisations.
In an interview with the Examiner in November 2000, former Det Supt Gary Haigh described the scale of the operation.
"We began very slowly and carefully and put systems into place ready to handle an inquiry that would become larger.
"We then made a press appeal which generated an enormous amount of interest, so much so that by the end of the first 12 months we had interviewed more than 400 former residents of children's homes across Kirklees."
He continued: "We looked under a stone and the whole thing simply snowballed.
"We had to make thorough investigations into every individual's allegations and try and determine if there was actual evidence.
"That was carried on throughout the inquiry as it spread."
He added: "For all the people who came forward - even if they did not want to make a formal complaint - we offered them counselling from experts willing to help.
"Some of those people never got over the trauma of what happened to them. For others the inquiry resurrected it all."
A spokesman for Kirklees Council said today: "West Yorkshire Police has worked closely with Kirklees Social Services and the NSPCC to carry out a thorough investigation into the allegations that were made.
"It was a long and complex enquiry and we put all the evidence available to us before the courts to make their decision."
