Cyber cops to tackle child abuse

Children who believe they are being 'groomed' by paedophiles online can now report their suspicions directly to the police.

The Virtual Global Taskforce (VGTF) website, set up by law enforcement agencies in the UK, Canada, Australia and the US, is effectively a global 'one stop shop' which aims to help police gather evidence and track down child abusers.

Microsoft and Internet service provider AOL will put a link to the VGTF on their websites, to allow worried parents and children to report their concerns if they believe paedophiles are trying to contact them or set up meetings.

BT and Vodafone have also joined as partners so that people using their mobile phone services to access the internet will be able to click on to the VGTF logo.

The VGTF website has two sections, one for children and another for parents and adults. It also has tips for online safety and a list of links to websites for more information. There is also information for parents or anyone concerned about websites or chat rooms where children might be put at risk.

Users who report possible abuses will be told how to get the IP address and user name of the person they are concerned about, and how to forward the contents of the online dialogue in question to the police. This can then be used as evidence if police decide to prosecute.

The National Crime Squad (NCS), which is co-ordinating the UK's VGTF operation, said that in some cases it would use the information to warn potential offenders it believes are only "curiously deviant" but not serious offenders.

Jim Gamble, deputy director general of the NCS, said: "We want to send a message to paedophiles that the internet is not a safe place for them to operate.

"It used to be like the old wild west where anybody could do anything. But then the sheriff came along to impose law and order. We are the sheriffs of the world wide web."

Welcoming the initiative, Peter Robbins, from the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), said: "We are pleased to be working with national and international law enforcement agencies in this way and welcome this new initiative.

"It builds on existing strong partnerships between the IWF, industry and police which has led to a successful UK model of co-operation and proactive work in tackling paedophilic content online."

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