Online child sexual abuse cases not being properly investigated by police amid ‘systemic failures’
Police forces are failing to properly investigate online child sexual exploitation as demand significantly exceeds resources, a new report has warned.
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has highlighted a 66 per cent increase in online child sexual exploitation referrals between 2023 and 2024.
This increase corresponds to a 48 percent increase in the number of registered sex offenders over the past decade.
The findings emerged as a minister said too many civil servants were “sitting behind a desk” rather than being out in public.
Her Majesty’s Constabulary Chief Inspector Michelle Skeer said the forces “fell below what the public expected”.
“The officers and staff working in these teams show tremendous dedication under extremely difficult conditions, but dedication alone is not enough.
“Demand is growing at a rate that forces cannot keep up with using available resources. Children are waiting too long to be protected. Investigators are carrying unsustainable caseloads. And too many forces lack the technology and training they need to do this job effectively.”
“The force cannot solve this problem alone. The Home Office, the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the Constabulary must act urgently on our recommendations.”
Investigators said the problems included:
- Investigators under pressure manage up to 54 active cases simultaneously
- Digital forensic investigations take up to two years in some forces
- No nationally accredited training course for officers investigating online child sexual exploitation
- Forces asking sex offenders to voluntarily attend interviews rather than arresting them
The inspectorate concluded that individual forces could not solve the problems alone.
He said the Police College should establish a national investigation course into online child sexual exploitation and launch a dedicated national digital training course to manage offenders.
HMICFRS said forces should review staffing levels to ensure workloads were manageable.
It also added that registered sex offenders should ensure home visits are always carried out unannounced and consideration should be given to the arrest and bail release of all online child sexual abuse suspects.
The Labor government has promised to put thousands more civil servants in neighborhoods; some of these were redeployed from other duties.
Police Minister Sarah Jones told the House of Commons on Tuesday: “There are 12,000 police officers sitting behind desks in our country. We don’t think that’s right.”
“We want to bring them into our communities.
“We want these officers to do the job we want them to do, not waste time on bureaucracy, which is why we are investing heavily in artificial intelligence and new technology.”
The Victims Commissioner for England and Wales said the report highlighted that delays, gaps in control and poor information sharing were putting children at risk.
Claire Waxman said: “The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation has warned that such systemic failures will continue to expose children to harm – warnings echoed here.
“This is particularly concerning in the context of online child sexual exploitation, where offending can be rapid, prolific and far-reaching, and where failures in the training, supervision and management of suspects under investigation can allow harm to continue unchecked.
“These are not abstract process issues; every delay or missed intervention has real-world consequences for children and their families.
“While I recognize the determination of frontline workers working in extremely challenging conditions, the protection of children cannot be compromised.”
He said the proposed reforms, including the National Police Service plans, were an opportunity to strengthen the fight against online child sexual exploitation.
A Home Office spokesman said: “Online sexual exploitation of a child is one of the most disturbing crimes of our time and has a devastating long-term impact on victims.
“Charges and prosecutions for child sexual abuse are currently at their highest level ever and we will continue to support the force to bring more offenders to justice.
“We will not hesitate to go further to protect our children online. The Government will soon strengthen the law in the Crime and Policing Bill with new offenses targeting technology-enabled child sexual exploitation and improve the management of offenders.”
