Figures produced by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre reveal that in 2012/2013 the child protection agency dealt with 18,887 reports of abuse. This represents a 14% increase on the previous year, with an average of 1,600 reports each month.
The figures also show that, over the same period, CEOP safeguarded and protected 790 children – an increase of 85% on the previous year, and the highest yearly figure since the Centre launched in 2006. In the seven years since the launch, CEOP has protected a total of 2,255 children.
The Centre warns that new trends in child sexual offending, and the growing availability of high-speed internet around the globe, are likely to increase the threat to children.
As part of its Centre Plan, CEOP has set out four key threat areas where it will focus its activity in the forthcoming year.
They are:
- proliferation of unlawful images of children;
- online child sexual exploitation;
- transnational child sexual abuse – including both transient and resident UK nationals and British citizens committing sexual offences abroad; and
- contact child sexual abuse.
CEOP is due to become part of the National Crime Agency in October 2013.
"Moving into the National Crime Agency as one of the four commands, the Centre will play a pivotal role in sharing our expertise in protecting children," said CEOP Chief Executive Peter Davies. "The Agency will also be able to use specialist resources and knowledge to ensure that children are even safer in the future - not just here in the UK, but also abroad working with our international partners."
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