New centre launched to target internet paedophiles

A new agency has been launched by the Home Office to tackle child sex abuse and internet paedophiles.

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) centre is being headed by Jim Gamble, former Deputy Director General of the National Crime Squad.

The London-based agency has a dedicated 24/7 online resource for reporting instances of online child sex abuse, as well as systems to track sex offenders globally.

The CEOP centre also has dedicated operators to track and seize assets from those who trade in child abuse images and specialist training services to help personnel in law enforcement, education, prisons, probationary services and child protection agencies.

The centre also has online awareness tools and offline education materials to encourage children to use the internet safely.

The centre will also cooperate with law enforcement agencies in the UK, Canada, the US and Australia, as well as Interpol, in order to protect children.

The Home Office said that growth in the distribution of child abuse images is continuing to rise. Over 750,000 images were seized in one operation alone.

According to the latest figures, over 8 million children and young people have access to the internet in the UK. One survey showed that one in twelve have met someone offline who they initially encountered in an online environment.

Launching the new centre, Home Office Minister Paul Goggins, said: "Child sex abuse is one of the worst crimes imaginable. Victims are attacked during their most vulnerable years and the effects can, and often do, last a life time.

"It is a crime from which, not only individual offenders, but also organised criminal enterprises can and do profit. I see the CEOP centre, under the leadership of Jim Gamble, as a major platform from which we can launch a co-ordinated effort to stay that vital step ahead of the criminal."

Mr Gamble said: "The CEOP centre is the most significant development in child protection in recent years and is a direct response to the explosion in online child abuse. Our challenge therefore is this - to make the internet a safer environment for your child.

"What we have to understand is that behind every image online there is a child in the real world being abused. Behind every online chat there is the potential that your child may be speaking to a sex offender. That is a harsh reality.

"That is not to say of course that the internet isn't a great place. It is a great environment - one that is full of learning and fun opportunities. What we are saying to children, young people and parents is that by putting awareness first, you will reduce the opportunities for harm.

"So let us be clear. If you are a sex offender - get help or get caught. The internet will increasingly expose you to new policing powers and will cease to be the anonymous place that it once was."

(KMcA/CD)