Police forces are failing to properly investigate online child sexual abuse, a new report has warned, as demand significantly outstrips resources.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) highlighted a 66 per cent surge in online child sex abuse referrals between 2023 and 2024.
This rise coincides with a 48 per cent increase in registered sex offenders over the last decade.
The findings emerge as a minister said too many officers were "sitting behind desks" instead of being in communities.
His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Michelle Skeer, stated forces are "falling short of what the public expects".
She said: “The officers and staff working in these teams show tremendous dedication in extremely difficult conditions. But dedication alone is not enough.
“Demand is rising at a rate that forces cannot keep pace with using current resources. Children are waiting too long to be safeguarded. Investigators are carrying unsustainable caseloads. And too many forces lack the technology and training they need to do this work effectively.
“Forces cannot solve this alone. The Home Office, the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the College of Policing must act urgently on our recommendations.”
Inspectors said problems include:
- Under pressure investigators managing up to 54 active cases at one time
- Digital forensic examinations taking up to two years in some forces
- No nationally accredited training course for officers investigating online child sexual abuse
- Forces asking sex offenders to attend interviews voluntarily instead of arresting them
The inspectorate concluded that individual forces cannot resolve the problems alone.
It said the College of Policing should create a national investigators’ course for online child sexual abuse and roll out a bespoke national digital training course for managing offenders.
Forces should review their staffing levels to make sure workloads are manageable, HMICFRS said.
They should also make sure registered sex offender home visits are always carried out unannounced and should consider arrest and bail for all online child sexual abuse suspects, it added.
The Labour government has vowed to put thousands more officers into neighbourhoods, some of whom have been redeployed from other roles.
Policing minister Sarah Jones told the Commons on Tuesday: “There are 12,000 officers in our country who are sitting behind desks. We do not think that is right.
“We want to get them out into our communities.
“We want those officers to do the job that we want them to do, not waste time on bureaucracy, so we are investing hugely in artificial intelligence and new technology.”
The Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales said the report highlighted that delays, gaps in supervision and weak information-sharing were putting children at risk.
Claire Waxman said: “The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse warned that systemic failures like these would continue to expose children to harm – warnings reflected again here.
“This is especially concerning in the context of online child sexual abuse, where offending can be rapid, prolific and far‑reaching, and where failures in training, supervision and the management of suspects under investigation can allow harm to continue unchecked.
“These are not abstract process issues – every delay or missed intervention has real‑world consequences for children and their families.
“While I recognise the dedication of frontline officers working in extremely challenging conditions, child protection cannot be compromised.”
She said proposed reforms, including plans for a National Police Service, were an opportunity to strengthen the response to online child sexual abuse.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The sexual abuse of children online is one of the most disturbing crimes of our time and has a devastating long-term impact on victims.
“Charges and prosecutions for child sexual abuse are now at their highest ever levels and we will continue to support policing to bring more offenders to justice.
“We will not hesitate to go further to protect our children online. The Government will soon strengthen the law in the Crime and Policing Bill with new offences that target tech-assisted child sexual abuse and improve the management of offenders.”
