Police warn predators are exploiting AI, encrypted apps and social media to target children – as 1,000 suspects are arrested every month
Britain’s top policing leaders have issued a chilling warning: child sexual abuse is growing more severe, more complex and more accessible than ever before – fuelled by new technology and the explosion of online platforms.
Senior officers say offenders are now able to groom, exploit and abuse children with horrifying ease, as generative AI tools, livestreaming and end-to-end encrypted messaging create what they describe as a critical safeguarding crisis.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) and police chiefs say the threat is no longer confined to the dark web.
Instead, some of the most disturbing abuse material imaginable is being shared openly online, leaving children exposed in the very digital spaces where they learn, play and connect.
Rob Jones, Director General of Operations at the NCA, said officers are confronted daily with “the most obscene child abuse imaginable”.
“And this is not hidden,” he warned. “It’s being shared on social media… accessible on the clear web for anyone to see.”
Shocking new figures reveal the scale of the crisis.
In 2024, the US National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children received more than 20 million reports of suspected online child sexual exploitation, with over 19 million linked to indecent images of children.
That surge has driven an unprecedented flood of referrals into Britain, with the NCA now receiving around 1,700 reports every single week.
Police forces across the UK are arresting an average of 1,000 suspected offenders every month, safeguarding around 1,200 children.
In just one week in January, 252 suspects were arrested, 118 were charged, and more than 400 children were protected.
But officers say enforcement alone will never be enough.
The threat has diversified into new and terrifying forms: offenders commissioning live-streamed abuse “on demand” for as little as £20; the rise of financially motivated sexual extortion targeting young boys; and sadistic online “networks” where members compete to share increasingly extreme material.
Police warn there is also growing evidence linking online abuse imagery to real-world contact offending.
Temporary Chief Constable Becky Riggs said: “Every child deserves to feel safe… including online spaces. But education, prevention and partnership are just as essential.”
The NCA is urging tougher action against tech firms through the Online Safety Act, demanding platforms be made hostile environments for predators.
“This cannot be policing alone,” Mr Jones said. “We all owe it to our children not to be bystanders.”
MONSTERS BEHIND BARS
- Patrick Howlett (58), Kent – Sent almost £56,000 to the Philippines to pay for live-streamed child sexual abuse. Jailed for 30 years last year and handed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order, with a judge condemning his “breath-taking lack of regard for childhood”.
- Edward Gratwick (68), Mitcham, London – Arrested at Stansted Airport as he tried to fly to Romania to abuse children as young as six. Jailed for life in January 2026, with a minimum of 19 years, after plotting to drug a child victim.
- Robert Chown – Sentenced to 25 years in October 2025 after pleading guilty to 41 offences, including making and distributing indecent images and forcing a child into sexual activity. Prosecuted through major international work with the FBI and Europol.
- Jonathan Leonard and Ann Bray, South Wales – The couple were charged with 32 child sexual offences, including penetration and sharing indecent images. Both pleaded guilty and were sentenced in May 2025 to 23 years each.
- Bradley Talbot (29), Portsmouth – A core member of a 6,000-strong Telegram “Com” abuse network sharing child sexual abuse material. Jailed for 7 years and 6 months in November 2025 and given a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
