The policing of online child sexual exploitation in England and Wales

Part of: Protecting people from violence and abuse

More and more crime is being perpetrated online, and this includes child sexual exploitation.

We inspected the police response to online child sexual abuse and exploitation between February and August 2022. We aimed to answer the following question:

  • How effective are police forces, the National Crime Agency and regional organised crime units at identifying and safeguarding children affected by online sexual abuse and exploitation?

The inspection also assessed how effectively these organisations prevent and investigate this type of crime.

Read the report

An inspection of how well the police and National Crime Agency tackle the online sexual abuse and exploitation of children – April 2023

Read more about child protection issues

Child abuse and child protection issues