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How we talk about child sexual abuse and exploitation matters.

The language we use, the stories we tell and the way we communicate about these crimes can influence public understanding, encourage victims and survivors to come forward, and help build confidence in the support available to them.

Today (Tuesday 16 June) marks one year since the publication of Baroness Casey’s National Audit on Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, with policing reaffirming its commitment to supporting victims and survivors, strengthening investigations, and driving continuous improvement across the system.

Policing leaders have responded to the UK Government’s announcement of new measures to strengthen protections for children online, including plans to introduce minimum age restrictions on social media use.

The UK Government has announced new plans to better protect children online, including measures to stop under-18s from taking, sharing or viewing nude images on their devices.

The move comes in response to growing concern about the scale of online harm, particularly where children are pressured or manipulated into creating and sharing images.

The Hydrant Programme is proud to celebrate Kay Wallace, who has been recognised as a runner-up in this year’s Excellence in Online Protection awards for her exceptional contribution to protecting children and supporting investigators tackling some of the most disturbing and complex online criminality facing policing today.

A historic £100 million will drive a crackdown on child sexual abuse, including tracking down vile grooming gang members, protecting victims and bringing offenders to justice.  Perpetrators who thought they got away with horrific grooming gang offences will be held to account as closed cases are reopened.

Earlier this year, police officers and cadets carried out an Operation Makesafe test at a chain hotel in the south of England to see how staff might respond to a potentially vulnerable young person.

Policing leaders have welcomed a new HMICFRS spotlight report examining the policing response to online child sexual abuse and the management of registered sex offenders, while stressing the urgent need for sustained, system-wide action to keep children safe.

The report highlights the growing scale and complexity of online child sexual abuse across England and Wales and the significant pressures facing officers and staff working in this challenging and highly specialist area. 

National policing launches new resources to strengthen the response to abuse linked to witchcraft, spirit possession and ritualistic abuse.

Staying safe online is something that matters to every family, every school and every community.

In this special Q&A, A/Chief Constable Becky Riggs, National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Child Protection and Abuse Investigation, sits down with 12-year-old Lib, who is passionate about online safety, to have an open and honest conversation about the realities young people face in the digital world.

The UK’s policing leads for child sexual abuse (CSA) are today warning that despite unprecedented levels of law enforcement action to tackle offending, advances in technology and the reliance on online platforms to communicate are significantly increasing the opportunities for offenders to engage with and sexually abuse children.

Two major national reports published today provide the most comprehensive picture yet of child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE) recorded by police across England and Wales in 2024. The National Analysis of Police-Recorded CSAE Crimes Report 2024 and the Group-Based Offending Report 2024 highlight both the breadth of CSAE and the unique challenges posed by organised, multi-offender networks.