Police declare war on child abusers

Hundreds of paedophiles snared over two-year period

Scotland’s police and child protection charities have declared “war” on producers and peddlers of child abuse images in Perth and Kinross and across Tayside and Fife.

Hundreds of paedophiles involved in their production and distribution have been tracked down by specialist police officers over the past two years. Police Scotland said increasingly sophisticated means of investigating cybercrime had helped them uncover ever larger numbers of those involved.

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), however, says those caught across the regions are contributing to “one of the fastest-growing forms of child sexual offending in Scotland”.

Declaring that “every image is a crime scene”, the charity has called for war to be declared on all those involved.

It has also called for harsher sentencing for those who trade in the misery of children.

More than 200 people from Tayside and Fife were charged with possessing child abuse images during a two-year period.

Between 2014 and 2015, 246 Tayside and Fife computer users were charged with either taking, distributing or being in possession of indecent photos of children.

Some 111 people were charged in Tayside and 135 people were charged by police in Fife.

Across the country, more than 600 people were charged with obtaining illegal images during 2015.

More than 1200 people were charged by police across Scotland between 2014 and 2015.

A police spokesman said: “Keeping children safe is a priority for Police Scotland.

“One of the real benefits of a national police service has been the introduction of a focused, consistent approach to tackle offending against children in all its forms.

“Police Scotland has a dedicated Cyber Crime Unit to proactively identify persons suspected of online child sexual abuse by exploiting advancements in technology, digital media and the internet.

“In addition, Police Scotland works in partnership with national and international partners, including cyber crime experts and other law enforcement agencies.

“This, together with the full range of investigative techniques, allow us to identify those who use computer networks to sexually abuse and exploit children and young persons,” he said.

A spokesperson for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) said the creation and sharing of child abuse images is “one of the fastest growing forms of child sexual offending in Scotland”.

The NSPCC Scotland spokesperson said: “The production and distribution of images of child abuse is a global criminal industry which must be stopped in its tracks. It is also one of the fastest growing forms of child sexual offending in Scotland.

“Every image is a crime scene and behind each is a young victim who will need considerable support to recover from the crimes inflicted on them.

“It is vital that individuals responsible for downloading and sharing these images are brought to justice and it’s important that treatment forms a part of any court sentence handed out.

“The war on these images has only just begun and the NSPCC is calling on governments and internet providers to do more to halt this spiralling problem.”

Every image is a crime scene and behind each is a young victim

There is both shame and tragedy in the latest Police Scotland figures on the amount of people charged with possession of child abuse images. Across Courier Country, in Tayside and Fife, some 246 people were charged with either taking, possessing or distributing this appalling material in 2014-2015.

That is more than two people a week.

There is a persistent and very mistaken belief that somehow the images are removed from reality, just part of an – admittedly sick – fantasy world. Nothing could be further from the truth.

As the police themselves point out, each image is a crime scene.

Somewhere, a traumatised child was photographed, in a real-life nightmare. Somewhere, the damage and trauma inflicted on these children will leave lifelong scars.

The heartrending evidence presented at inquiries into child abuse, not just in Scotland but globally, is testimony to the life of suffering people endure as a result of child abuse.

The digital age has made creating and sharing this vile material easier than ever before.

Hopefully, too, it makes catching people who make and access it easier, too.

But the 246 offenders in our own backyard are a chilling reminder of the grim supply and demand chain. Without their demand, there would be no supply. We must break the cycle.