GMP cracks down on online sex offenders with an increase in arrests last year

From December 1, 2022, to November 20, 2023, GMP solved 82 more crimes than in the same period from the previous year

Detective Chief Inspector Jen Tattersall, who leads GMP’s Online Child Abuse Investigation Team (OCAIT), said: “We don’t underestimate the concern the public have for online sex offending, understandably so, but also the impact this type of offending can have on victims.

“Many victims speak about their feelings of embarrassment, that they may be judged, or excluded from their friendship groups for admitting being groomed.

“That’s just one of the reasons we take this issue incredibly seriously and aim to offer those impacted, where victims are identified, a judgment free, safe space to speak about their experiences with specially trained officers and victim services.

“It’s no secret that the move to online offending has been notable since the birth of the internet, but even more so in recent years.

“But, against a picture of higher numbers of reports, which can be partly attributed to higher confidence in reporting as well as investment in technology and referrals by National Crime Agency (NCA) and police forces, we are also making more arrests and seeing more cases solved.”

As technology advances and more children have access to internet-enabled devices and social media apps, GMP said it is continuing to educate parents and carers on how to keep children safe online, as well as the children themselves, and taking proactive action to remove child abusers from the streets of Greater Manchester.

Last year saw the team conduct a number of warrants and proactive arrests, totalling 116 (arrests) in total – an increase on the previous year, as well as work with partnership agencies and charities to provide advice and support to families affected by online child abuse, helping to prevent further victimisation.

The force said a worrying trend being witnessed nationally, but also prevalent in Greater Manchester, is children being perpetrators of sexual offences. In the online space particularly, 64 per cent of perpetrators are under 17, it said.

GMP says the reason for this rise is the increase in what is typically referred to as ‘sexting’, as well as self-generated images, where they upload images of themselves to the internet.

“By law, even if children exchange intimate images with consent between themselves and upload them of themself, as they are children, this is classified as making and distributing indecent images,” it added.

Det Chief Insp Tattersall explained: “It is not unusual, particularly as children hit puberty, for their sexual interest and exploration to begin, and we are not here to generally criminalise that. We have to take a pragmatic approach focussed on safeguarding, education and also prevention of further incidents.

“Where we receive reports of children making and distributing indecent images between themselves of themselves or each other, it’s important we look at the individual evidence and circumstances holistically, to understand why that behaviour has occurred and whether prosecution is the right course of action to take.

“Police nationally have adopted a ‘common-sense’ approach to this, making sure we aren’t criminalising children where it isn’t proportionate for experimental activity, but instead offering them support and guidance around the issue. Many children are not aware that these images are classed as being indecent images.

“Due to the rise in this type of ‘offending’, we have seen a rise in outcomes of prosecution not in the public interest, impacting our overall positive outcome rate.

“However, it’s important that this outcome is applied, as for us, if we can advise and safeguard a child where they are swapping or publishing images of themselves, that is a positive outcome.

“Sometimes, without them realising, they end up too becoming victims of online sexual abuse, as images they upload to platforms like TikTok and YouTube can end up in unintended, wrong hands of high harm sexual offenders. In 2023, we safeguarded 150 children who had uploaded indecent images of themselves onto the internet.

“Of course, where there are cases and we identify aggravating factors at play, such as coercion, extortion or in some cases, violence, by children against other children, we will look to pursue criminal action.”

GMP says the team intends to further increase its arrest, charge, and prosecution rate for 2024, even as demand continues to increase.

However, it warned online sex offending remains unreported, as “many victims don’t even know they have become victims and that images of themselves are in the hands of criminals”.

Det Chief InspTattersall said: “Working in OCAIT is an extremely difficult but rewarding job for our officers and staff. The material the team have to view, read about or listen to would be tough to comprehend for anyone, even officers directly trained to deal with this.

“It is, however, outweighed by the importance and desire to protect children from harm. Everyone who works in this team has that as their primary goal.

“We are not taking our foot off the gas, and will continue to work, alongside partners, to safeguard children and take action against those harming children online, including those in positions of authority or inciting others to commit virtual or in person offences.

“GMP are also a test case for indecent images offences where artificial intelligence has been used to create material. We hope that this research and advancement in our capabilities will allow forces across the country to target offenders, even where there may not be a physical victim.

“I would like to encourage anyone who believes that they have been a victim of online child sexual abuse, or is concerned a child they know has been, to contact GMP.

“I understand how difficult it can be to recognise that abuse is taking place, or to come forward due to fears of what might happen, but I want to provide assurance that you will be supported, without judgement, and no matter how long has passed, we will always listen.”

GMP’s OCAIT, including the Intelligence Hub, has a total of four detective sergeants, 28 detective constables, two investigative support officers and two victim identification officers (when at full establishment), all headed up by a team of senior detectives.

The team is a specialist unit focused solely on online offending, which has been a growing trend in recent years, as a national report found 32 per cent of all child sexual abuse is committed online.

The daily business of the team includes leading proactive investigations, using overt and covert methods to monitor and target criminal activity, conducting warrants at the home addresses of those suspected as being involved in online sexual offending and seizing devices, working through material and categorising images downloaded, created, or distributed.

The team has access to the force’s digital forensic and polygraph experts to assist with conducting “thorough investigations and ensuring the right outcomes”, said GMP.

The intelligence hub works both reactively and proactively, handling referrals made by other forces or the NCA, as well as proactively scouring online systems. It develops the full information package up to warrant stage, so that either the OCAIT or district teams can conduct the activity.

Officers work closely with partner agencies, such as children’s services and schools across the districts, to ensure appropriate safeguarding and support measures can be put in place for victims, as well as the co-located Sexual Offender Management Unit and Probation Service, to ensure suspects on bail or recently released from serving prison sentences are well managed in the community to avoid reoffending.