According To The Watchdog, Vulnerable Youngsters Are Being "Put At Risk" So That Police Can Investigate Paedophiles

According to the police watchdog, vulnerable children are being left at risk from paedophiles because detectives do not want to jeopardize their investigations.

It criticizes the Metropolitan Police Service of making little progress in child safety and expresses "serious concerns" about how detectives investigate online child abuse and the usage of indecent photos.

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) highlighted delays in identifying victims and checking phones and computers in a report, and discovered that certain specialist workers were inexperienced and unskilled.

"The inspectorate noticed examples where police detectives delayed notifying children's social care about children living in a residence with someone who was uploading photographs of child abuse because they didn't want to jeopardize the investigation - potentially putting children at risk," the HMICFRS said.

The watchdog analyzed force rules, strategies, and other documentation, as well as conducting planned and unannounced interviews with officers and personnel at all levels.

It also examined 170 child protection cases, finding 54 (32 percent) to be satisfactory, 63 (37 percent) to be in need of improvement, and 53 (31 percent) to be insufficient.

However, since the watchdog's last inspection in 2018, the Met has made improvement in several areas of child protection, according to the report.

The force has boosted employees to deal with registered sex offenders and has a greater understanding of the requirements of youngsters in police custody who are vulnerable.

However, the watchdog claimed that some children in detention were not being transferred to foster care in a timely manner.

Since the first lockdown, police have arrested 320 of the UK's most dangerous child sex offenders.

Since the first lockdown, police have arrested 320 of the UK's most dangerous child sex offenders.

"Some employees have stated that they are under a lot of stress. Workloads, personnel competency, and the availability of detectives with the necessary experience were all highlighted as contributory issues.

"It was clear that some of these pressures had an impact on both the well-being of the employees and their investigations."