Charity welcomes move to stop paedophiles using internet chat rooms

Leading children’s charity NCH has welcomed plans to
monitor internet chat rooms to identify paedophiles who are using
them to groom children, writes Sally Gillen.

The idea was one of a series put forward by the UK
National Crime Squad at a three-day virtual summit on protecting
children, involving England and Wales, America, Australia and
Canada.

National Crime Squad assistant chief constable Jim Gamble said that
law enforcement agencies, children’s charities and
organisations such as internet service providers needed to continue
to campaign “for this issue to be high on the political
agenda and ensure that funds are no obstacle in doing
so”.

A spokesperson for the NCS said a feasibility study would need to
be carried out before the initiative was given the go-ahead.

NCH internet advisor John Carr said: “This is a fantastic
development which NCH welcomes enormously.”

He added the proposals would in effect create an international
policing institution focused on child safety on the internet

“The internet is now a less safe place for paedophiles and
that means it’s getting safer for children all the
time,” said Carr.