Police are arresting 1,000 suspected paedophiles every month as the threat of child sex abuse worsens, the National Crime Agency (NCA) has warned.
Rob Jones, the NCA’s director of general operations, said online groups had resulted in offenders’ behaviour being “rationalised”, as “like-minded” abusers are brought together by algorithms.
While they are collaborating on the dark web, they are using mainstream social media as “discovery” platforms to “identify and abuse vulnerable children”.
And with youngsters increasingly reliant on the internet themselves, they are at even greater risk.
Mr Jones described the situation as “incredibly damaging”, and warned: “We want society to push back and people to confront their offending – that is the opposite of what happens in the online world.”
The amount of material referred to the authorities by the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children has roughly doubled over the past three years, according to the NCA.
Arrests have risen from between 500 and 800 per month a few years ago to 1,000.
During a single week in January, the NCA and forces across the UK made 252 arrests, including 118 people who were then charged. Another 35 people were sentenced in court and 407 children were safeguarded.
Offences that are becoming more prevalent include abusers paying on demand for the abuse of children to be livestreamed – sometimes for as little as £20.
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The NCA also warned of “Com groups” – sadistic groups that gamify abuse which were recently highlighted by a special report from Sky News.
Mr Jones said members of these communities “egg each other on” to commit “even more horrendous crimes”.
Tech companies must ‘act with urgency’
Becky Riggs, the National Police Chiefs’ lead for child protection and abuse investigation, said officers were working “relentlessly” to target abusers.
But she said tech firms must “act with urgency to make their platforms hostile environments for offenders”.
Parents, guardians, carers, and teachers should also learn the signs that a child is being abused.
“The trusted adults around them […] need clear, accessible guidance so they can recognise the signs of harm, have open conversations, and know where to turn for help,” Ms Riggs added.
The NCA’s warning comes after the government announced a sweeping crackdown on tech companies to protect children from illegal content.
It will include measures to eliminate “vile illegal content created by AI”, and could even open the door to an Australia-style age limit on social media, a Number 10 spokesperson said.
