Child protection

INNOVATION: A team from the Policing Institute for the Eastern Region are collaborating with colleagues across Europe to develop an app that uses machine learning to find and block images of child sexual abuse on personal devices – potentially protecting thousands of children while allowing police to target resources on the most persistent and prolific offenders, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

FEATURE: The latest people trafficking report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has found that while overall the number of reported victims has fallen, the restrictions of the pandemic may have pushed some forms of the crime to more hidden areas, while wars and climate change have also raised the level of risk that potential victims are exposed to, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: With county lines drug trafficking increasingly recognised and understood across the UK, police still face the conundrum of whether children and young people involved in these crimes should be treated as offenders, victims, or both; Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports on a session from the recent 24hr Conference on Global Organized Crime in which Trilateral Research’s Jana-Isabelle Dilger presented guidance for frontline officers making these tough calls.

INNOVATION: From sexual abuse to modern slavery and county lines, tackling child exploitation is a complex challenge, and one where information sharing, identification and intervention are crucial; Dr Hayley Watson and Stephen Anning of Trilateral Research explain how a new ethical artificial intelligence (AI) platform developed in collaboration with Lincolnshire Police is analysing big data to provide early indicators of those children most vulnerable to potential exploitation.

FEATURE: With the need for greater focus on the ‘voice of the victim’ and ‘voice of the child’ having been highlighted both in serious case reviews and legislation, the National Policing Vulnerability Knowledge and Practice Programme (VKPP) is researching how those victim experiences can be better recognised, gathered, and used in investigations and to shape policing services, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: PIER22 is a FREE major policing conference focusing on child protection. It is the first time that speakers involved in leading and overseeing national child protection reviews will be seen and heard together in one session, discussing violence against women and girls, the voice of the victim and multi-agency safeguarding arrangements.

FEATURE: Family violence, bullying, social anxiety and Covid are just some of the factors contributing to a significant truancy problem in New Zealand; the NZ Police Association recently reported on a joint operation that has seen a simple knock on the front door of houses reopening the doors to education for hundreds of children in South Auckland.

OPINION: As a global leader in online safety, Australia was the natural destination for European Commission delegates looking to learn more and share best practice around online regulation and child protection ahead of introducing new European legislation; Julie Inman Grant, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, believes the visit marked a watershed moment of international collaboration in the fight against online child sexual exploitation.

FEATURE: Online child sexual exploitation is a growing crime with horrific consequences around the world, but a global task force led by the FBI is making significant inroads, catching offenders and rescuing children; Policing Insight Contributing Editor Tina Orr Munro reports from the UK’s Internet Intelligence and Investigations Conference on the success of the VCACITF.