Police across the United Kingdom are now arresting about 1,000 suspected paedophiles every month, as the threat of child sexual abuse continues to grow, the National Crime Agency has warned. During a single week in January, a total of 252 child sexual abuse suspects were arrested across the UK, with 118 of them subsequently charged, according to figures released by the agency.
Rob Jones, the NCA’s director of general operations, said online communities are increasingly normalising abusive behaviour, as algorithms bring together people with similar interests. He explained that while offenders collaborate on the dark web, they also use mainstream social media platforms as discovery tools to identify and target vulnerable children.Jones warned that children are now at greater risk because of their growing dependence on the internet. He described the situation as incredibly damaging, noting that while society should be confronting such behaviour, online environments often have the opposite effect.
The NCA said the volume of abusive material referred to authorities by the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children has nearly doubled over the past three years, reflecting the scale of the problem. Arrest figures have also risen sharply, increasing from between 500 and 800 suspects per month a few years ago to around 1,000 monthly arrests. In the same January week, authorities said 35 people were sentenced in court and 407 children were safeguarded.
Officials noted that some forms of abuse are becoming more common, including cases where offenders pay to watch the sexual abuse of children livestreamed, sometimes for as little as £20. The agency also highlighted the emergence of so-called “Com groups”, described as sadistic online communities that gamify abuse, recently exposed in a special report by Sky News.
Jones said members of these groups often encourage one another to commit increasingly severe crimes. Meanwhile, Becky Riggs, the National Police Chiefs’ lead for child protection and abuse investigation, said officers are working relentlessly to identify and stop offenders. Riggs stressed that technology companies must act urgently to make their platforms hostile environments for abusers. She also said parents, carers, guardians and teachers need better guidance to recognise warning signs, have open conversations with children and know where to seek help.
The NCA’s warning follows a recent announcement by the UK government of tougher measures aimed at protecting children online. These include steps to tackle illegal content generated by artificial intelligence and the possibility of introducing an Australia-style age limit on social media platforms, according to a Downing Street spokesperson.
Source: https://news.sky.com/
