Cryptic crossword clue
Police sent aid, arresting five perverts 8

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word DEVIANTS

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "perverts" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case perverts = deviants.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

What does DEVIANTS mean?

DEVIANTS noun
  1. A person who deviates, especially from norms of social behavior.
  2. A thing, phenomenon, or trend that deviates from an expectation or pattern.

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