UK anti-paedophile centre to be created

A national organisation to tackle online paedophiles and support child abuse victims is to be set up next year.

Police, businesses and charities are to work together in the centre, which will act as a single-point-of-contact for people to report child abuse crimes to.

The National Crime Squad, the National Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) and various companies are involved in the project, which will be affiliated to the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA).

Jim Gamble, deputy director general of the National Crime Squad, said international police will also participate in the scheme: "Just before the election, the government announced a centre that would deal with these issues. That centre will be the priority of the NSPCC and perhaps Barnardos, where other government bodies, social services and industry will help."

The organisation which will either be called The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre or The UK Internet Safety Centre, will be staffed by 100 people.

Gamble added: "It will identify children who've already been abused. This centre will be something you've never seen before. When you walk in the door you'll not be able to tell who the police officer is and who is from charity."

Staff will work on policing chat rooms and launching online paedophile awareness campaigns in schools, and will look to teach parents how to collect evidence if they suspect something is wrong.

Gamble added: "We'll collect information from all areas. We'll capture it in the chat rooms - you will know we are there. We will also put up a most-wanted list. There's an opportunity of the creation of this centre for business to participate too. And we'll inform potential victims of the dangers."

The Virtual Global Task Force, an international police organisation which Gamble chairs, will help the centre in its international operations: "We'll work to make the internet safer by having people who work undercover. If a paedophile turns up at a station to meet a child, they'll be met by a policeman with a set of handcuffs," he said.

Gamble said companies wanting to participate in the scheme should contact the Internet Watch Foundation.