INCIDENCES of online child sexual abuse have risen drastically during the coronavirus pandemic, as Thames Valley Police (TVP) reports a near 100% rise in referrals.
Detective inspector Jon Axford, a member of TVP’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT), is encouraging people to make sure their children are staying safe online.
DI Axford works across the Thames Valley region, investigating online child sexual abuse by following tip-offs from the National Crime Agency (NCA).
He said over the past month, POLIT has seen a surge in referrals from the NCA, following a national rise in activity in recent years.
Last month, the TVP team pursued 43 tip-offs, made 31 arrests and seized 276 items – which he said safeguarded 32 children in the Thames Valley region.
Since 2018/19, referrals from the NCA to the local force have also risen by 93%.
Now, DI Axford believes the coronavirus pandemic is to blame for the recent rise in activity.
“The spike in referrals coincided with the start of the first lockdown and it’s continued in an upward trend into 2021,” he said. “It makes sense because people are at home, and a lot of the time they and their children are spending is online.
“Sadly, we know there are a number of criminals out there who have tried to take the opportunity to sexually exploit children.”
After receiving reports that people could be engaging with abusive material on the internet, the detective inspector said POLIT quickly takes action to safeguard vulnerable children.
“Ordinarily, we carry out a warrant at the suspect’s house, arrest that person and seize anything we think could be of value containing evidence,” he explained. “We are duty-bound to do so.”
And he said despite the pandemic, POLIT has had a “really high success rate” with its 43 referrals in March.
“Very often, we will uncover evidence of criminal activity,” he said. “And we’ve worked hard to make sure we don’t let the covid situation affect the fundamental part of the work we do.”
But the nature of online child sexual abuse has evolved, DI Axford added.
“Strictly speaking, this change is not exclusive to covid,” he said. “This area of work is always evolving as people change their methods, in terms of where they access abusive material and where they share it.
“But, we have seen an increased number of referrals for people communicating with children online, and that’s probably a result of covid.”
Now, TVP is urging people to stay safe online as residents continue to use the internet more regularly during the pandemic.
“The impact of being a victim of online child sexual abuse is massive,” DI Axford said. “If you consider the context of indecent images, behind each one there is a child somewhere who is being sexually abused by someone they trust, and that is life changing.”
He is encouraging residents to take an active interest in what their children are doing online, and consider using parental internet controls.
“It’s very easy to put your child on a laptop or tablet and leave them to it, and in most cases that’s okay,” he said. “But you also need to make sure your child is confident enough to speak to you if something is wrong.
“You need to have a relationship where you can talk about the dangers online together.”
The detective inspector is also urging people to be on the lookout for any changes in their child’s behaviour, which could be early indicators that something is wrong too.
“We’ve seen children become withdrawn or secretive, and even defensive about what they’re doing online,” he said.
He has since reassured that POLIT will continue to investigate referrals and keep children safe in the Thames Valley region.
“The message is clear – if you are online abusing or grooming children, you will be caught, you will go on the Sex Offenders’ Register, and you may go to prison,” DI Axford said.
“We know exactly who you are, who you are talking to, and we will come to your house and arrest you, in front of your family and loved ones if necessary.
Anybody concerned for the safety of a child is encouraged to contact TVP by calling 101, or the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000.
The force also works with the Lucy Faithfull Foundation to prevent online child sexual abuse through its Stop It Now campaign, which can be contacted on 0808 1000 900.
