Sickening failures imply on-line little one intercourse abuse victims can wait two years for assist
A chilling report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) found overstretched police forces are struggling to keep up with soaring online child sex abuse cases
A chilling report warned children face long waits for help as police are unable to keep up with soaring online sex abuse cases(Image: BBC News & Current Affairs via G)
Overstretched police are struggling to keep up with rocketing online child sex abuse cases – meaning victims face waits of up to two years before authorities intervene.
A chilling report found several forces in England and Wales do not have enough officers assigned to tackle the crisis, with a 66% rise in just a year. His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) found investigators are forced to juggle up to 54 active cases at a time.
This has led to unacceptable delays examining confiscated devices such as laptops and phones which may contain indecent images of children, the report states. It said: “The time that forces are taking to examine digital downloads and digital forensics isn’t acceptable.” And the document continued: “Some forces have unacceptably long timescales of up to two years from the point at which devices are submitted for examination.
“This may mean that a child hasn’t been safeguarded for the time it has taken to examine the device.”
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It said investment is desperately needed to deal with the rise in cases. His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Michelle Skeer, said: “Demand is rising at a rate that forces cannot keep pace with using current resources. Children are waiting too long to be safeguarded. Investigators are carrying unsustainable caseloads.
“And too many forces lack the technology and training they need to do this work effectively.” She said that online child sexual abuse is one of the most serious and fastest-growing crimes facing the UK.
Figures from the National Crime Agency (NCA) show referrals for online child sex abuse rose to 20,704 in 2024, up from 12,469 the previous year.
The new report found teams that manage sex offenders are often overlooked by force chiefs because there is no way of measuring how much crime they prevent.
HMICFRS also called for standardised training for officers investigating online child sex abuse – warning cases are handled differently across England and Wales. And there must be a more joined-up way of dealing with these cases and managing sex offenders, it said.
And the inspectorate also found that releasing suspects under investigation – rather than on bail – means abusers can continue to access children online.
