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Police to get cutting edge technology to tackle grooming gangs

Source: Home Office published on this website Thursday 7 August 2025 by Jill Powell

Children, young people and vulnerable adults across England and Wales will be better protected from grooming gangs and other vile organised exploitation, as all police forces gain access to leading-edge investigative technology. The government is injecting £426,000 of new funding into the Tackling Organised Exploitation (TOEX) Programme so it can extend access to its Capabilities Environment, a suite of state-of-the-art investigative apps and tools, to every police force in England and Wales, building on the 13 which currently have access.

The TOEX Capabilities Environment expansion supports the first phase of Operation Beaconport, the new national policing operation announced following Baroness Casey’s National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse. Police officers will be able to access the tools to assist with any criminal investigation in their force. To date, these tools have been used 12,500 times by the 13 forces which have access to them, saving over £20 million and 16,000 investigator hours. This is expected to increase exponentially with the funded expansion.

Led by the National Crime Agency in collaboration with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), the Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) Taskforce and the TOEX Programme, Operation Beaconport will, for the first time, bring together the full strength of policing to address past failures, deliver justice, and ensure complex cases of group-based child sexual exploitation – including grooming gangs – are enhanced to ensure offenders are pursued and vulnerable members of our communities are protected.

Operation Beaconport has already begun work that will lead to the review of more than 1,200 closed cases of group-based child sexual exploitation cases that were not progressed to prosecution. Following this initial review, recommendations will be made to forces to reinvestigate cases that have been improperly closed, and to the Crown Prosecution Service to review a previous charging decision when it appears to be incorrect.

Jess Phillips, Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, said:

“The sexual exploitation of children by grooming gangs is one of the most horrific crimes and we must punish perpetrators, provide justice for victims and survivors, and protect today’s children from harm.

“In June, this government responded to Baroness Casey’s report by announcing a national inquiry to direct targeted local reviews, alongside a new national police operation – measures that will deliver real results – and we’ve wasted no time in making these happen.

“Baroness Casey flagged the need to upgrade police information systems to improve investigations and safeguard children at risk. Today we are investing in these critical tools.”

Part of the Home Office-funded CSE Taskforce, the TOEX Programme provides dedicated intelligence, analytical, and technical expertise to support forces undertaking complex investigations into organised exploitation crimes such as modern slavery, county lines, and child sexual abuse and exploitation, including grooming gangs.

The TOEX Capabilities Environment is already available in all nine regional organised crime units and is being used by 13 forces. With today’s announcement of new funding, all police investigators in England and Wales will have access to the full array of TOEX’s AI-enabled, time-saving tools. These include the Data Analysis and Review Tool, which analyses large amounts of digital data to identify communications patterns and relationships between suspects; and TOEX Translate, a tool for the bulk translation of foreign language text from seized mobile devices.

The TOEX Programme is a powerful example of what we can achieve when we combine operational insight with innovative technology. The national rollout of these tools will improve outcomes for victims and deliver a more consistent, intelligence-led approach across the country.

The Home Secretary has also written to all police forces urging them to make sure they are fulfilling their obligation to collect suspect ethnicity data as part of the government’s commitment to transparency and accountability.

As part of the Plan for Change mission to create safer streets by increasing public confidence in policing and the criminal justice system, the government is committed to ensuring forces have the tools they need to protect communities.

Further details on the national inquiry and Operation Beaconport will be announced in the coming weeks as the government continues to prioritise protecting children, pursuing perpetrators and supporting victims and survivors.

Youths who tortured and killed kittens banned from ever owning pets

Source: Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) published on this website Wednesday 6 August 2025 by Jill Powell

Two teenagers who admitted torturing and killing kittens have been detained in a young offender institution and banned from ever owning pets again. The boy, 17, and girl, 17, who cannot be named due to their age, both previously pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and possession of a bladed article in a public place.

At a sentencing hearing at Highbury Magistrates' Court , the male defendant was sentenced to 12 months' detention in a secure youth centre while the female defendant was sentenced to nine months' detention.

Both defendants were also permanently disqualified from owning pets under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Two eyewitnesses saw the couple holding hands as they approached a secluded part of a footpath in Ruislip, North West London, carrying a black animal carrier with cats inside.

Armed with knives, a blowtorch and scissors, the pair dismembered and left the mutilated bodies behind. One kitten was recovered hanging from a tree.

The kittens that the defendants killed were sourced through legitimate websites where owners sell pets. The pair falsely indicated they were legitimate buyers and paid for the animals in cash.

Stephen Hancock of the Crown Prosecution Service said: “This was an unimaginable act of cruelty on two defenceless animals which caused immense shock across our community.

“The manner in which these teenagers left the kittens was deeply disturbing and distressing.

“Instead of letting them hide behind their age, the CPS put forward the strongest possible charges to ensure they faced the full consequences of their actions.

“Whatever their motivation may have been, both defendants have now been disqualified from ever owning a pet and will have to live with a criminal record for the rest of their life.”

Following a rapid investigation by the Metropolitan Police, prosecutors charged both teenagers with a range of offences just two weeks after the kittens were found.

Forensic evidence on the knives, animal carrier and rope found at the scene proving this was a premeditated attack, as well as cell-site data that showed both defendants’ phones present at the scene, all formed part of the CPS’s case.

Expert evidence from a veterinarian was also sourced to ensure we could prove to the court that the animals would have suffered immensely at the hands of both defendants, before succumbing to their injuries.

During police interview, the male defendant laughed when he was shown images of the weapons recovered at the scene. The girl suggested she wanted to dissect the animals due to her interest in biology.

As part of the CPS’s drive to save valuable court time, prosecutors presented the strongest possible visual and eyewitness evidence, ensuring both defendants pleaded guilty to all charges at the earliest possible opportunity.

An RSPCA spokesperson said: “The RSPCA is deeply shocked and saddened by the horrific and completely unnecessary attack on these young animals by two teenagers.

“Generally, it is very concerning that many more young people are exposed to animal cruelty than previous generations - and we are troubled by the impact this is having on how animals are valued by society.

“Our Animal Kindness Index, a UK-wide annual survey into people’s attitudes towards animals, shows that 60% of 16 and 17 year olds had recently witnessed animal cruelty - including on social media and online, and it is frightening the impact this may be having in desensitising some to the horrors of animal abuse.

“But there is hope. The RSPCA is committed to creating a kinder world for every animal, by educating children on animal welfare issues and advocating for animals.”

Keeping children safe online: changes to the Online Safety Act explained updated August 1 2025

Source: Department of Science, Innovation and Technology published on this site Monday 4 August 2025 by Jill Powell

The way children experience the internet has fundamentally changed, as new laws under the Online Safety Act have come into force to protect under-18s from harmful online content they shouldn’t ever be seeing. This includes content relating to:

pornography
self-harm
suicide
eating disorder content

Ofcom figures show that children as young as 8 have accessed pornography online, while 16% of teenagers have seen material that stigmatises body types or promotes disordered eating in the last 4 weeks.   

To protect the next generation from the devastating impact of this content, people now have to prove their age to access pornography or this other harmful material on social media and other sites.    

Platforms are required to use secure methods like facial scans, photo ID and credit cards checks to verify the age of their users. This means it will be much harder for under-18s to accidentally or intentionally access harmful content. 

It’s clear in Ofcom’s codes that we expect platforms to ensure that strangers have no way of messaging children. This includes preventing children from receiving DMs from strangers and children should not be recommended any accounts to connect with.  

Data privacy

While people might see more steps to prove their age when signing up or browsing age-restricted content, they won’t be compromising their privacy.    

The measures platforms have to put in place must confirm your age without collecting or storing personal data, unless absolutely necessary. For example, facial estimation tools can estimate your age from an image without saving that image or identifying who you are. Many third-party solutions have the ability to provide platforms with an answer to the question of whether a user is over 18, without sharing any additional data relating to the user’s identity. 

 The government and the regulator, Ofcom, are clear that platforms must use safe, proportionate and secure methods, and any company that misuses personal data or doesn’t protect users could face heavy penalties.

Services must also comply with the UK’s data protection laws. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has set out the main data protection principles that services must take into account in the context of age assurance, including minimising personal data which is collected for these purposes.  

Virtual Private Networks

While Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are legal in the UK, according to this law, platforms have a clear responsibility to prevent children from bypassing safety protections. This includes blocking content that promotes VPNs or other workarounds specifically aimed at young users.   

This means that where platforms deliberately target UK children and promote VPN use, they could face enforcement action, including significant financial penalties.  

The Age Verification Providers Association (AVPA) reports that there has been an additional 5 million age checks on a daily basis as UK-based internet users seek to access sites that are age-restricted.

Legal adult content

Online Safety laws do not ban any legal adult content. Instead, the laws protect children from viewing material that causes real harm in the offline world, devastating young lives and families.   

Under the Act, platforms should not arbitrarily block or remove content and instead must take a risk-based, proportionate approach to child safety duties.

Protecting freedom of speech

As well as legal duties to keep children safe, the very same law places clear and unequivocal duties on platforms to protect freedom of expression. Failure to meet either obligation can lead to severe penalties, including fines of up to 10% of global revenue or £18 million, whichever is greater. The Act is not designed to censor political debate and does not require platforms to age gate any content other than those which present the most serious risks to children such as pornography or suicide and self-harm content.

Man charged with child cruelty offences at Leicestershire summer camp

Source: Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) published on this website Tuesday 5 August 2025 by Jill Powell

Janine McKinney, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS East Midlands, said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised the prosecution of a 76-year-old man with child cruelty offences following a police investigation into a summer camp held at Stathern Lodge, Leicestershire.

"This decision has been made after reviewing a file of evidence from Leicestershire Police.

“Jonathon Ruben will be charged with three child cruelty offences relating to three boys. He will appear at Leicester Magistrates' Court on Saturday, 1 August.

“This has been an extremely upsetting and shocking moment for the community, and especially for the children and parents most directly affected.

“We would like to remind all concerned that there are now active criminal proceedings against Mr Ruben, and he has the right to a fair trial. There must be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online that may in any way prejudice these proceedings."

Protect your child from online sexual abuse this summer

Source: Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) published on this website Friday 1 August 2025 by Jill Powell

Make sure your home doesn’t have an open door to abusers by following these simple steps to educate, inform and support your childline

One of the most important things you can do to keep your child safe online is to TALK:
🆃alk to your child about online sexual abuse.
🅰gree ground rules about the way you use technology as a family.
🅻earn about the platforms and apps your child loves.
🅺now how to use tools, apps and settings that can help keep your child safe online.

Initiating that first conversation is challenging, and something no parent wants to do, but engaging in open and ongoing conversations about online sexual abuse could make all the difference in keeping them safe online.

Download the TALK resource for guidance, tips and support

Report Remove is a first-of-its kind tool run by the Internet Watch and the NSPCC’s Childline, providing young people under 18 with a safe and simple way to report sexual imagery of themselves that has been shared online.

Throughout the process, young people are provided with support from Childline, while the IWF works to ensure this imagery cannot be uploaded or redistributed online.

If your child confides that they’re worried about their intimate images being shared online, you can encourage them to make a report and seek support via Report Remove.

Access the Report Remove site

Young people are sharing nudes for all kinds of reasons – with people they know, and people they don’t. These images are routinely being ‘leaked’ and shared across peer groups and the wider internet.

Our Think Before You Share campaign aims to educate young people on the harm of sharing sexual imagery by encouraging thoughtful decision-making, and to help parents/carers manage discussions about online safety with their children.

If your child approaches you about this topic, you can refer them to this resource or use it to initiate conversation around their online safety.

Visit the Think Before You Share site for advice and guidance

Sexually coerced extortion or ‘sextortion' is a type of blackmail where someone tries to use sexual imagery of a victim to make them do something against their will or pay money.

Criminals often target people who use social media platforms, webcam/live streaming sites or websites related to pornography. They might pretend to be someone else online and befriend their victim. Later, they might threaten to share intimate pictures or videos with their victim’s family and friends.

If your child ever finds themselves in this situation, it’s important to reassure them that they are not at fault and to seek help.

Access support and guidance on dealing with sextortion