Metropolitan Police investigators have arrested 45 suspected online paedophiles and safeguarded nearly 100 children since the coronavirus ...
Metropolitan Police investigators have arrested 45 suspected online paedophiles and safeguarded nearly 100 children since the coronavirus lockdown began.
Officers from the online child abuse and exploitation unit detained dozens of suspects and safeguarded 92 children in the first four weeks of lockdown.
Law enforcers carried out 68 raids in the month from March 23, and on average launched 10 new live investigations each week.
The number of recorded crimes linked to child abuse has so far remained level with the months prior to lockdown, but the force said it expects numbers to rise in the coming months.
Pictured: An online child abuse and exploitation unit officer searching a suspect's address
It is still receiving an average of 50 reports per week related to images of sexual abuse from the National Crime Agency.
Detective Superintendent Helen Flanagan said: 'The internet can be a great space for young people to connect, socialise and learn - but it is also used by offenders as a place to engage with children and commit serious offences – grooming, abuse, and other serious harm.
'The restrictions have led to a huge growth in internet use, including by children doing school work or occupying themselves while parents and carers are busy - and inevitably there are a greater number of sexual predators online looking to target and groom young people.'
She explained that although figures have not yet increased, the force is anticipating a rise later in the year due to the impact stay-at-home measures have had on internet use.
Officers believe any increase in offending taking place now will not be reflected in official figures for months.
Ms Flanagan added: 'Online offenders can consider themselves less harmful than "real life" abusers as they hide behind a screen, but there is a vulnerable child at the heart of every indecent image or video and by viewing and distributing these, the abuse is repeated over and over again.'
Pictured: Police officers in a patrol car in Greenwich Park, London on May 2 as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus
Pictured: Police officers on horses speak to Britons in Victoria Park on May 3 amid lockdown
A number of police forces have warned of the potential risks to children who may be using the internet more during the coronavirus lockdown, which was announced by the Government on March 23.
Thames Valley Police said it had seen a 147 per cent rise in the number of reports of online child abuse in March compared with the same period last year.
Ms Flanagan said parents should make sure they use safety features on devices including parental controls, age restrictions and monitoring functions.
She added: 'If your child starts to use the internet in a different way, try to get an understanding of why - are their peers using the same apps, or are they being coerced to talk to strangers in a way they are uncomfortable with?
'A change in behaviour can be an indication that something is wrong.'
Met figures showed that the number of offences linked to accessing child abuse images online rose by 130 per cent between 2016 and 2019.
Figures for the first three months of 2020 have so far remained level with 2019, at around 180 per month, but this is expected to rise.
Donald Findlater, chief executive of child abuse prevention charity the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, said: 'We have seen an increase in the use of pornographic sites because of isolation measures and we know this can be a precursor for some men with addictions to move into illegal child abuse material.
'Parents can help in tackling this and think about what their children are doing when they are being quiet in their rooms, because that lack of supervision can make them more vulnerable online.'
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