Police across North West join forces to tackle online sexual exploitation

Merseyside Police has teamed up with child protection charity Stop It Now! in a new initiative to tackle the viewing of online child sexual abuse images.

The number of people in the North West seeking support from a confidential helpline about online child sexual abuse has increased by 37% during the past 12 months (2021/22).

New data shows that almost 25,000 people in the North West sought advice or support via Stop It Now! about their own or a loved one’s online sexual behaviour towards children in the past 12 months.

Stop It Now!, which helps people manage their sexual thoughts and behaviour towards children, says heavy porn habits are cited by male callers as a common pathway into viewing sexual images of children online.

The charity is calling on anyone concerned about their own or a loved one’s online behaviour, to seek help now.

Today (Monday 17 April), the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit together with the six North West police forces in Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside and North Wales are supporting Stop it Now's campaign by launching a two-week social media campaign to raise public awareness of the growing problem of people viewing and sharing sexually explicit images of under 18s online. The campaign also educates those offending about the harm caused to children in the images who are re-victimised each time their image is viewed online.

During the two-week period, police forces will also be highlighting the work they are doing to tackle the issue and drive home the consequences of their behaviour to offenders - including arrest, possible imprisonment, break up of families, and being put on the Sex Offenders Register.

The Stop It Now! helpline, the UK’s only anonymous helpline that supports people worried about their own or someone else’s sexual thoughts or behaviour towards children, is urging men to be careful of their pornography viewing habits, as insights show that developing an interest in more extreme porn is a common pathway into online offending against children.

This warning comes as new consumer research, shows, nationally, nearly a third (31%) of men aged 35 and under struggle to determine the legality of sexual content online - a worrying finding as nearly half (49%) agree that watching too much pornography can lead to watching more extreme or illegal content online. To add further context, as men are nine times more likely to view pornography than women, it makes them more at risk of encountering illegal content online.

According to the latest data from Stop It Now! more than 275,000 across the UK sought advice or support via its online self-help or confidential helpline in 2022. This is a 67% increase on the previous year. Figures from The National Crime Agency also estimate there are between 550,000 and 850,000 people who pose a sexual abuse risk to children.

The consumer research also showed that 70% of respondents across the UK would encourage a friend or family member to seek help if they believed they were looking at sexual images/videos of children. Around a quarter of people who call the Stop It Now! helpline nationwide do so because they are concerned about another adult’s sexual behaviour involving children.

National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for child protection, Ian Critchley, said: “Behind each of these images is a real child who is being abused, and every view only creates more demand for these appalling offences. This is not a victimless crime and it is vital that anyone with information comes forward and seeks help. It is currently estimated that up to 850,000 people in the UK pose a sexual threat to children, either through physical contact abuse or online abuse. We are arresting more offenders than ever before and our tools to track down those responsible are better than ever.

“We are committed to targeting the perpetrators of these crimes and bringing them to justice. The consequences of being arrested are huge – you could lose your job, your family, and will be imprisoned and registered as a sex offender. Anyone who is having inappropriate thoughts about children, or anyone who believes a family member may be, should seek help and support from the anonymous and confidential Stop It Now! helpline. We know this behaviour has a huge impact for friends, children and partners left behind, which is why no-one has to deal with it alone, support is available.

“Working closely with the National Crime Agency, policing needs to be supported by individuals acting on and reporting concerns. It is also crucial that organisations treat their duties to protect children with the utmost seriousness. It should also be supported by a rigorous legal duty through the Online Safety Bill, ensuring tech companies fulfil their legal, as well as their moral duty, to keep children safe online and report more offenders. It is of the utmost importance that the opportunity this presents to protect children is not impacted by the roll out of End to End Encryption by tech companies.”  

Child sexual abuse prevention expert and Director of Stop It Now! UK & Ireland, Donald Findlater, says: "The way people use pornography today is unrecognisable from 20-years ago. The days of top-shelf magazines have been replaced by sophisticated methods that can show people things online they weren’t looking for or usually interested in. This can mean people then search for and need more extreme videos to be satisfied, with some individuals then looking for under-age material and offending as a result.

“Lots of people who view legal adult pornography might be surprised by what we’re saying, and they might think that anyone viewing sexual images of under-18s must be a paedophile, but our experience over many years tells a different story. A story where people find themselves in dark places that they never expected to be, doing things they never expected to do.

“Our message to anyone on that path, or already offending, is that these pictures and videos cause huge harm to the children in them. And watching them has massive consequences for the viewer, including possible arrest, jail, job loss and family breakdown. But it isn’t too late to stop. The thousands of men who call us after being arrested tell us they wish they’d made a change and stopped sooner. Many felt they were in a cycle they couldn’t break and we helped them find a way out - to stop and to stay stopped.

“We hope this information will serve as a wakeup call and that anyone worried about their own, or someone else’s, behaviour will contact us for advice and support.”

Detective Superintendent Stephen Reardon from Merseyside Police said: “We are committed to protecting children from all forms of child sexual abuse and will not stop bringing offenders of this abhorrent crime to justice. Child sexual abuse and exploitation has a devastating impact on victims and their loved ones.

“Our involvement in the Stop it Now! Campaign is vital in raising awareness of child protection as well as giving offenders the opportunity to seek help before harming others further.

“As a force we are arresting more offenders who view or share sexual images of children online and protecting more children than ever before. In the last year, we made more than 100 arrests, putting in place conditions to protect over 40 families, and safeguarded and protected over 100 children. Our message to offenders is clear – if you think you won’t be found, you’re wrong. You could lose your job, family and will be imprisoned and registered as a sex offender.

“Alongside enforcement, we recognise the importance of charities such as the Lucy Faithfull Foundation. Anyone worried about their own or a loved one’s online behaviour should seek support from the confidential Stop it Now! Helpline on 0808 1000 900 or visit www.stopitnow.org.uk.”

For more information and support, visit the Stop It Now! confidential helpline, live chat, secure email on www.stopitnow.org.uk or call 0808 1000 900.