Officers in some forces are asking perverts to agree to voluntary interviews to “manage” their workloads.
Shabana Mahmood was given an urgent warning over police probes (Image: Getty)
Paedophiles are not being arrested despite looking at child abuse images online, a scathing review has revealed.
Officers in some forces are asking perverts to agree to voluntary interviews to “manage” their workloads.
But this means that suspects are not subject to bail conditions, leaving them “able to offend further”.
The vile predators are free to log online and continue trying to watch sick videos or attempt to groom children.
And others are arresting paedophiles, but not placing any bail conditions on them, creating a fresh security crisis for children and their parents.
A staggering police watchdog report revealed: “If the suspect wasn’t high risk and didn’t have obvious access to children, the default position was to not arrest. Devices that may hold indecent images were sent to specialists for examination.
“The suspect was invited in for interview when the phone examination was completed. This process could take up to 12 months. During this time, no restrictions were placed on the suspect, which left them able to offend further and, therefore, put children at continued risk.
“The use of bail to safeguard victims should be the starting point due to the offences that the suspect has been arrested for.
“These offences are committed online. This means that suspects don’t require physical access to children to be a risk.
“Forces should use bespoke conditions that will safeguard the public. During our inspections, we found that some forces didn’t bail suspects after arrest and instead released them under investigation.
“Some forces told us that they didn’t use bail unless the suspect was high risk or had direct access to children. These forces should consider that access to children can also happen online, such as via live streaming.”
The number of referrals for online child sex abuse from the National Crime Agency (NCA) to police forces rose 66 percent in a single year, from 12,469 in 2023 to 20,704 in 2024.
The number of registered sex offenders has increased by 48 percent over the last decade and nearly 3,000 more were added to the register in 2024/25 compared to 2023/24.
And detectives are being overwhelmed by the crisis.
Some officers are managing up to 54 active cases at any given time.
And digital “forensic” probes are taking up to two years “which can delay investigations and may leave children without adequate safeguarding for prolonged periods”, the police watchdog His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue said.
His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary Michelle Skeer said: “Online child sexual abuse is one of the most serious and fastest-growing crimes facing our society today. It can have a lasting and devastating impact on children and their families.
“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.
“However, forces cannot solve this alone.
“The Home Office, the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the College of Policing must act urgently on our recommendations.
“Without national investment and coordination, the situation will worsen and children could be put at further risk.”
Claire Waxman OBE, Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, said: “This report underlines long‑standing concerns raised by victims and survivors of child sexual abuse: that known risks are not being managed consistently, and that delays, gaps in supervision and weak information‑sharing continue to put children at risk.
“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.
“Those with responsibility for policing and safeguarding must now act with urgency to address these failures. Proposed police reform, including plans for a National Police Service, offers Government a crucial opportunity to strengthen and properly prioritise and resource the response to online child sexual abuse.
“I will continue to work with partners across the system to push for urgent action and real improvement in how child victims are protected.”