Category: United Kingdom National Police Chiefs Council

The National Police Chiefs’ Council has submitted its evidence to the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) and the Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) for police officer pay for 2024/25.

Recommendations include calling for an above inflation pay increase across all ranks, increasing the starting salary for constables, in a longer-term strategy to address the real term pay decreases faced by officers over the past decade.

Evidence submitted to the pay bodies recognises the higher-than-expected pay award of 7 per cent received last year, however this is on the back of a long-term decline in police pay, which means officers have still received a real term pay cut on average of over 16 per cent since 2010.

Policing remains an incredibly challenging and stressful occupation, with each police officer facing between 400 and 600 traumatic events during their career, compared with between three and four for most people during their lifetime. The pay premium which was designed to compensate officers for the unique nature of their work physically and psychologically has been eroded due to long-term below inflation pay rises.

National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Pay and Conditions, Chief Constable Jeremy Vaughan, said:

“Our officers deserve pay that reflects their challenging and unique roles, recognising their responsibility to run towards danger and the restrictions we place on them which means they cannot strike or take on second jobs.

“The pay premium reflecting this has decreased substantially over the past decade, and our increasingly young workforce has meant many within policing are at the lowest pay ranks.

“Over the past 3 years, policing has recovered some of the reduction in officers caused by a decade of austerity, and we are now financially locked into maintaining these numbers. With increasing demand on policing and tight budgets, police forces face difficult decisions, with less money to put officers on the frontline and recruit staff to carry out critical back-office roles.

It is important that the recommendations to government reflect these financial challenges and are funded appropriately to support us in keeping the public safe.”

NPCC responds to a House of Commons Committee report, which has made recommendations to government.

National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Protests, Chief Constable Chris Noble said:

“We welcome the observations made by the Committee and thank them for the opportunity to provide a perspective of policing protest on behalf of all police forces.

“The right to lawful protest is a key part of any democracy, which UK police uphold and facilitate. Our staff will continue to carry out this vital work for as long as necessary.

“After dealing with a prolonged period of activity like we’ve seen recently, it is only right that we collectively recognise the impact that this has had on our resources.

“In recent months, the level of activity that we’ve been responding to has meant that our people have worked long hours, had leave and rest days cancelled, and have had to travel across the country to support their colleagues. They do this in order to keep people safe, investigate crime that has occurred, and bring offenders to justice, and for that they have my gratitude.

“Inevitably when we push resourcing into one part of policing, that will mean that there are less people to fulfil the needs in another.

“We will take away the findings of this report, examine the recommendations, and work with the Government and our partners to ensure that we have the resources that we need to continue to deal with these events effectively and sustainably.”

The publication can be read here.

Football fans have documented their experiences at European away matches as part of the ongoing work to keep supporters safe when travelling abroad.

A survey coordinated by the UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) has been completed by fan groups from English clubs who have played in European competitions since the 2020/21 season.

The clubs involved are Arsenal, Aston Villa, Brighton, Chelsea, Licester City, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Newcastle United. The aim of publishing the results is to improve the safety, security and service provided to fans travelling abroad and avoid repeats of some of their recent negative experiences.

Whilst much of the feedback is positive, fans who completed the survey have reported a number of concerning experiences across the continent including poor facilities, issues with transport and aggressive policing.

The UKFPU will now use the data to work with fans, UEFA and the host countries to address the issues raised. The report will also help inform police officers and fans from the UK when they travel abroad for future matches – and supporters will have the opportunity to update the survey following each away match their team play.
 

Chief Constable Mark Roberts, NPCC Lead for Football Policing, said:

“Following the events of the 2022 UEFA Champions League Final in Paris and the mistreatment of Liverpool fans, it was hoped that the reviews and outcry would mark a watershed in the experience of English supporters following their teams in Europe.

“Subsequent events, in particular the arrangements for Manchester City supporters attending the 2023 Champions League final in Istanbul, suggested this wasn’t the case and that lessons were not being learned.

“The aim of this survey is to get more detailed evidence of the issues fans are experiencing when travelling to European away matches, and to help find a way to solve these.

“There has been a lot of positive feedback, but we can see from the data some specific issues which are being experienced at certain clubs and in certain countries. It is hoped we can use these results to work collaboratively and create a safer and more welcoming experience for supporters following their teams.”

“As these surveys continue to be completed they will help to provide really rich feedback that enables us to focus on the problem areas and to share good practice from clubs that are getting this right. Fans have a strong voice and bring a lot experience and knowledge, and it is right that we use this feedback to continue to improve their safety and security when travelling abroad.”

Results published from annual Operation Limit

• 14 per cent of tests showed positive result for drink or drugs
• 6,616 arrests made
• 1,589 individuals charged for drink and drug driving

Policing’s national operation to tackle drink and drug driving has seen consistently high results for the second year running, with over 6,600 motorists arrested for offences.

Many police forces undertake a proactive operation around Christmas each year to increase breath testing and targeted vehicle stops for drivers suspected of being under the influence. Christmas 2022 saw the first national operation, called Op Limit, to coordinate this activity across the country – bringing together all police forces in a concerted effort to remove drink and drug drivers from our roads.

2023 saw all police forces take part in the operation, engaging in education and awareness events, communications around the risks of driving under the influence, targeted vehicle stops in hot spot areas and intelligence led patrols.

Nearly 50,000 breath tests (49,812) were conducted with almost 10 (9.5) per cent of those testing positive, failed or refused. 6,846 drug tests were conducted with nearly 50 (48.5) per cent of those testing positive.

84 per cent of drink or drug driving offenders were male with 74 per cent 25 years old or over. 6,616 arrests were made for drink and drug driving offences and 1,589 individuals were charged.

The 2022 Operation Limit did not require police forces to report back on individuals charged so the 2023 charge figure is not comparable.

Chief Constable Jo Shiner is National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Roads Policing. She said:

“Drink and drug driving is responsible for many serious and fatal collisions every year and it is completely avoidable.

“Policing has always taken a robust approach to removing drink and drug drivers from our roads and as long as people continue to undertake this dangerous behaviour, we will continue to make stopping it a core roads policing priority.”

Chief Superintendent Marc Clothier is National Police Chiefs’ Council Operational Lead for Op Limit. He said:

“This national collaboration around Op Limit has been really successful and we’ve seen a wide range of tactics employed by forces around the country. We’ve also seen a number of innovative tactics such as the sending of Christmas cards to known offenders, reminding them that we are undertaking proactive patrols and underlining the dangers of drink and drug driving.

“While numbers of positive tests are very slightly lower than last year, far too many individuals still make the selfish choice to drive under the influence or drink or drugs.

“We know that both alcohol and drugs have a significant impact on reaction times, control of the vehicle and awareness of what’s happening around you so it is absolutely not worth risking your life and the lives of other road users.”

Miriam’s story

Miriam Briddon was the daughter of Ceinwen and Richard Briddon and sister to Katie-Ann, Lowri and twin sister to Megan. Miriam was 21 years old and due to graduate from Coleg Sir Car in Carmarthen with a first-class honours degree in textile design in 2014 when she lost her life at the hands of a drink driver.

On the 29th of March 2014 (the eve of Mothering Sunday) Miriam left the family home near New Quay in West Wales to drive and spend the evening with her partner only a few miles away.

As Miriam was nearing the end of her journey along the A482 Just outside Aberaeron during the hours of darkness, a Silver VW Golf driven by a 34 year old local man, collided head on with her at significant speed having lost control on a left hand bend. The collision occurred wholly on Miriam’s side of the road, shunting her backwards a considerable distance and killing her instantly.

The man had been drinking earlier that day and his blood alcohol levels saw him to be significantly over the prescribed drink drive limit at the time of collision. He pleaded guilty to causing death by undue care whilst over the prescribed dink drive limit.

He was sentenced to prison but had his sentence reduced on appeal to 5 years claiming it to be manifestly excessive. He received a 5 year driving ban to start after his release.

Miriam’s family and community at large were devastated by her loss and felt they needed to do something positive in her memory, more so due to the leniency of sentencing that was handed to the driver and to others who caused fatal collisions through drink, drug or dangerous driving.

The Briddon family campaigned tirelessly for a change in the law.

Their petition – which they took to 10 Downing Street in 2016 – gained over close to 110,000 signatures, crossing the 100,000 threshold required for the UK Government to consider a debate on the matter.

Today we see their efforts alongside many other grieving families and campaigners which resulted in the sentence for the most dangerous cases of death by dangerous or drink/drug driving extended to life in prison.

Miriam’s mum, Ceinwen Briddon, said: 

“Miriam was a beautiful person inside and out . She was always happy, kind and caring of others. She was a loving daughter, a close sister and a good friend to many. She had a bright future ahead of her and she looked forward to graduating within a few months. 

“Through no fault of her own, Miriam was cruelly and instantly taken away from us. 

“The selfishness of a drink driver devastated us as a family that night and it’s very hard to put into words how losing Miriam affected us all in the following days, weeks, months and years.  Losing her like we did, had a massive impact on us and how we think and live from day to day. 

“The shock, the disbelief, the pain, the anger and the heartache of losing Miriam is with us as much today as what it was when she was killed nearly 10 years ago; and it will remain with us for the rest of our lives.

“I would challenge anyone to think and answer the following; ‘How would you feel if you killed someone innocent by drink or drug driving?’ As a family, we have been given a life sentence of grief. 

“Our message is simple – Never drive under the influence of drink or drugs.  Get a taxi, a bus, or phone a friend, but never drive.”  

Chief Constable Shiner continues:

“The decision to consume alcohol or take drugs and get behind the wheel is entirely irresponsible, reckless and criminal and its impact is hugely significant on individuals, families and whole communities as we see in the tragic story of Miriam Briddon.

“On behalf of everyone involved in Op Limit I would like to thank Ceinwen for her bravery in both campaigning and continuing to tell Miriam’s story as a stark warning of the very worst that can happen at the hands of a drink driver.”

Chief Constable Sarah Crew welcomes appointment of new Independent Advisor to the Rape Review. 

Chief Constable Sarah Crew has welcomed the announcement that Professor Katrin Hohl has been appointed as the new Independent Advisor to the Government’s Rape Review. Professor Hohl was one of the lead academics on Operation Soteria, the transformational approach to the investigation of rape and sexual offences, which all 43 forces have signed up to and are implementing.

Chief Constable Sarah Crew, NPCC Lead for Adult Sexual Offences and the Joint Senior Responsible Officer for Operation Soteria said:

“I am delighted to see that Professor Katrin Hohl has been announced as the Independent Advisor to the Rape Review. Her knowledge and expertise which she has brought to Operation Soteria will ensure the voices of victims are heard at the most senior decision-making level.

“Professor Hohl, alongside Professor Betsy Stanko, was responsible for the academic rigour and vital research that has enabled the National Operating Model for Rape and Serious Sexual Offences to be brought to life. Her passion for driving change, holding police to account and doing the best for victims are an asset for this role and I wish her all the best.

“We will continue to drive forward and build on her brilliant work, by tackling perpetrators of these awful crimes and ensuring victims get the justice they want and deserve.”

Forces are to receive at least £1 million each to ramp up patrols to tackle violence and disorder in ‘hotspot’ areas. 

Deputy Chief Constable Andy Prophet, National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Anti-Social Behaviour, said:

“Tackling violence on our streets and ASB in our communities are top priorities for policing because they can have such a corrosive impact on people’s lives and wider society. 

“Residents often tell us they want to see more uniformed officers out in their local area and this additional funding will not only help forces to enhance their current activity, but it will enable them to target their resources to hotspot areas, where criminal activity is most concentrated and areas most at risk of harm. 

“I welcome any measure which helps to reduce reports of ASB, violence and disorder and show our communities just how seriously we take these issues.”

Dip sample of force data shows increase in attendance at shoplifting incidents

A plan commissioned by the Policing Minister and developed by policing in partnership with Government to drive down retail crime is already showing positive results.

The Retail Crime Action Plan, which set out policing’s commitment to tackling shoplifting and prioritising attendance where violence was involved or a shoplifter was detained, was launched in October 2023.

Operational implementation of the plan has shown significant impact from a dip sample of 31 police forces carried out in December 2023.

Of over 1,500 crimes reviewed across all retailers, police attended 60 per cent where violence had been used, with 16 per cent of forces sampled reporting 100 per cent attendance to this type of incident.

Police attendance for a detained shoplifter was 76 per cent with 21 per cent of forces again showing 100 per cent attendance.

A number of factors impact attendance in both types of incident. This includes whether an offender has left the scene or been let go before police were called, how soon after the incident it is reported, whether a retailer may not support a prosecution, or when officers are dealing with or are diverted to an urgent incident elsewhere.

Chief Superintendent Alex Goss, is National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for retail crime. He said:

“Retail crime can have a significant impact on victims, which is why we are committed to doing all we can to reduce thefts and pursue offenders, especially those prolific and habitual offenders who cause misery within the community.

“The Retail Crime Action Plan sets out clear guidelines for the response to retail crime and it’s positive to see police forces have really embedded this in their operational work, a fact clearly shown in this sample of incidents.

“At the same time, we know organised crime can also be responsible for a proportion of these offences. This is why we welcome the collaboration between retailers, police and crime commissioners and policing through Project Pegasus, which enhances our ability to identify and tackle the groups involved.

“The intelligence aspect to Project Pegasus within national policing unit, Opal, is undergoing recruitment and work has already started to collate information on prolific offenders and groups around the country. We look forward to reporting further results in due course.”

Paul Gerrard, Co-op Director of Campaign and Public Affairs, added:

“We welcomed the launch of the Retail Crime Action Plan – the safety and security of my colleagues and, our communities, is our number one priority – and, our own experience  shows early signs of advancement in police response rates since its introduction.

“Retail crime is neither petty nor victimless – instead it can be volatile and dangerous and fuels local illicit activities. However, where clear co-operation and partnerships exists with forces, it is shown to be a solvable issue.

“We urge MP’s to back the amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill to make attacking a shop worker a stand-alone offence, and I am increasingly confident that there is now the opportunity and appetite to collaborate further with police forces to build on the green shoots of improvement seen so far.”

Crime and Policing Minister Chris Philp said:

“Shoplifting has a detrimental impact not only businesses and high streets, but retail workers themselves who can be subject to unacceptable intimidation and violence.

“We will not tolerate it, which is why we launched the Retail Crime Action Plan and I am very encouraged by the progress already being made by police in delivering against their commitments.

“I won’t be complacent however, we must take a zero-tolerance approach to shoplifting and will continue working with the police and retailers to bear down on this crime – preventing it from happening, and making sure perpetrators face justice when it does occur.”

Notes to editors

• Police forces were asked to review 50 shop theft crimes from 1 December 2023. 31 forces responded, representing 1,514 crimes reviewed.
• The Co-op published figures in a report on Thursday (8 February 2024) which stated that previously police failed to attend in nearly four-fifths (79 per cent) of incidents where a criminal had been detained. Since the introduction of the Retail Crime Action Plan, the non-attendance rate has improved to 38 per cent.
• Commissioned by the Policing Minister and published in October 2023, the Retail Crime Action Plan includes a police commitment to prioritise urgently attending the scene of shoplifting instances involving violence against a shop worker, where security guards have detained an offender or where attendance is needed to secure evidence. Police attendance will be assessed based on risk, and prolific or juvenile offenders will be treated with elevated priority. The plan also reaffirmed policing’s commitment to follow up on any evidence that could reasonably lead to catching a perpetrator. Forces will step up targeted hotspot patrols in badly affected areas.
• The plan also sets out advice for retailers on how to provide the best possible evidence for police to pursue in any case, making clear they should send CCTV footage of the whole incident and an image of the shoplifter via the digital evidence management system as quickly as possible after an offence has been committed.

Project Pegasus

• Pegasus is a partnership between retailers and policing spearheaded by PCC Katy Bourne and set up to centralise intelligence on serious and organised crime groups involved in retail crime.
• Centralised intelligence will be collated by the National Police Chiefs’ Council Opal Team (additional information on Opal can be found below).
• The Pegasus partnership brings together the expertise of a national intelligence unit together with private sector funding and data in order to combat serious and organised crime. It will look to close the gap between organised retail crime and the police response to it.
• Pegasus will bring together retailers and policing to share information and intelligence around organised retail crime. Its initial purpose will be to collate a national picture of the scale and scope of the issues, subsequently identifying organised crime groups and high priority offenders so local forces can take action.
• Contributing industry members of the Pegasus partnership will provide intelligence and information to Opal and have the ability to refer crime series to them. Opal will then prioritise and focus on the series with the highest threat, harm and risk.
• The Pegasus partnership is privately funded by retailers.

Opal

• Opal continues to make a significant impact on serious organised acquisitive crime, helping forces combat high levels of criminality and recovering high value stolen property.
• The Opal team is firmly established within UK policing and supports forces in the development of intelligence packages, as well as raising awareness of serious organised acquisitive crime with industry.
• Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman holds the NPCC portfolio for Acquisitive Crime and governs the National Intelligence Unit for Serious and Organised Acquisitive Crime, Opal. The Opal team is funded by the National Police Chiefs’ Council.

National Police Chiefs’ Council Retail Crime Lead

• Chief Superintendent Alex Goss was appointed in the new role of NPCC Retail Crime Lead in October 2023. Shoplifting is part of the NPCC acquisitive crime portfolio overseen by Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman.

Specialist undercover units hunting child abusers online made 1,700 arrests in one year – safeguarding over 1,000 potential victims from exploitation.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council Undercover Online (UCOL) Network was formed in 2017, with funding from the Home Office, to crackdown on predators using the internet to target vulnerable young people. The specialist investigators work closely with partners including the National Crime Agency to gather intelligence and pursue offenders.

Significant progress has been made with year-on-year growth in the number of arrests over the last five years related to illegal use of online platforms including the dark web.

UCOL investigators use covert tactics to target dangerous offenders, focusing on a range of offences including grooming, peer-to-peer offending, live streaming, contact offences and historic or current familial offending.

From October 2022 to September 2023, officers in UCOL units across England and Wales made:

• 1,665 arrests
• 1,397 children safeguarded
• 1,386 years custodial sentences

Offenders ranged from those who had viewed or shared indecent images online to those who had encouraged children to send them indecent images online, as well as those who groomed children via online sites and then arranged to meet them so that they could sexually abuse them.

National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Undercover Online, Assistant Chief Constable Alastair Simpson, said:

“The fight against child sexual abuse will never stop and these arrests highlight the focus and priority that not only police, but all of society must place on tackling these awful crimes.

“Policing has worked hard to develop a better understanding of child sexual exploitation and abuse in recent years. Specialist investigators work relentlessly on really tough cases every day to keep children safe and robustly pursue offenders.

“There are many examples of innovative police work to protect victims, and bring perpetrators to justice.”

In 2022/23, the NPCC:

• Targeted offenders seeking to access the livestreaming of abhorrent material
• Introduced a new team to research changing offender behaviour and to provide intelligence reports on online platforms and updates to the Home Office on future threats
• Worked with the NCA, national partners, Home Office and industry to explore technological innovation which would improve efficiency and outcomes

In the coming months the NPCC will:

• Increase understanding of the illegal use of  artificial intelligence in the online space
• Implement the UCOL national strategic delivery plan across core areas of focus
• Accelerate industry engagement to inform and influence moderation and monitoring of platforms

Mr Simpson added: “Reports continue to rise, and we encourage anyone who is a victim of any kind of sexual abuse, or is concerned it is taking place, to come forward and report it. Our officers recognise the challenges many victims and survivors must overcome in making the often difficult decision to come forward and report offences, especially when they involve family members.

“This is not something that policing can tackle alone and we work closely with partners and charities to encourage victims to come forward.

“When victims do come forward I want to ensure they get the most professional, caring and compassionate service from us on every occasion. I am proud of colleagues who work relentlessly in this area to bring offenders of some of the most appalling crimes imaginable to justice.”

Wendy Hart, Deputy Director for Child Sexual Abuse at the National Crime Agency, said:

“The sheer volume of child sexual abuse (CSA) material available on the open web creates a permissive environment for individuals to develop a sexual interest in children. Offenders use online platforms to share their criminal activity, which in some cases can escalate into even more severe offending.

“The NCA works with policing to ensure a coordinated response to this threat. Our collective use of undercover officers has been crucial in gaining insight into offender behaviour and developing wider preventative measures.

“Education is also a key part of the law enforcement response. We aim to reduce the vulnerability of children and young people and encourage them to report abuse to trusted adults, the police or the NCA’s CEOP Safety Centre. Parents, carers and professionals can find information, resources and advice on protecting children from online CSA at www.thinkuknow.co.uk’

Minister for Security, Tom Tugendhat said:

“The scale and severity of child sexual abuse committed online is appalling. We must be unrelenting in the pursuit of offenders.

“The Police’s Undercover Online Network is vital for delivering swift justice to predators and safeguarding vulnerable children.

“We will continue to send a message to child sex offenders that they cannot act with impunity online. They will be found, and they will be punished for their crimes.”

—

Case studies  

A predator was engaged in sexual conversations online with the mother of a 9-year-old girl he believed he would sexually abuse. He made arrangements with the mother to abuse her daughter for payment.

He stated he would pay £200 when he first met her, then another £200 when he was able to have sex with her once the child got to know him better. He also stated he would buy the child a mobile phone which he already had £70 aside to pay for, and that he had already bought her a speaker as a gift.

He also mentioned buying a convertible car which the child would enjoy trips to the beach in and other outings, and that he would like the child to call him “Dad” once she was comfortable with him.

In 2022, he was arrested for arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence. In his vehicle was a boxed Bluetooth speaker, two mobile phones, an overnight bag and Viagra. In 2023, he was sentenced to 8 years’ imprisonment with an extended 6-year license period.

—

In March 2023, a man engaged with an undercover online officer purporting to be a 14-year-old boy. From the outset, the man displayed a sexual interest in the child and wanted to meet to engage in sexual activity.

The man arranged to meet the 14-year-old boy, stating he would bring drugs with him. He was arrested at the meeting, in possession of ‘poppers’ as he had promised. He was charged and remanded into custody, later pleading guilty to a range of child sex offences and sentenced to 19 months’ imprisonment and 10 years on the sex offender’s register. 

Historical data wash completed with thousands of police workforce checked

• 307, 452 officers, staff and volunteers checked against the Police National Database (PND)
• First time any workforce has undergone integrity screening on this scale
• Working towards longer term Continuous Integrity Screening solution

Today (23 January 2024) sees the publication of the largest integrity screening project undertaken in policing, with over 307,000 officers, staff and volunteers checked against the Police National Database (PND).

In January 2023, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) contacted all police forces and asked them to prepare their HR data so all officers, staff and volunteers could be checked against the PND.

The Police National Database (PND) is a data store of operational policing information and intelligence provided by individual forces. It contains copies of locally held police records covering intelligence, crime, custody, child protection and domestic abuse investigations.

Chief Constable Serena Kennedy, National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Prevention and Senior Responsible Officer for the historical data wash process said:

“The results from this process have shown that the large majority of our officers, staff and volunteers are professional, dedicated individuals who act with integrity and work hard to keep their communities safe.

“While the historical data wash has resulted in some cases which require criminal or disciplinary investigation, this low number, together with the fact these people have now been identified and appropriate action taken, should provide reassurance that we are committed to the highest standards of integrity and will continue to deal robustly with those who fall below these standards.

“In addition to the cases referred to an appropriate authority, we know significant action has been taken by local forces to address all information identified in the historical data wash through stringent processes and procedures.

“We also identified a number of people who required welfare support from their force and it is positive that we can now give them the care they require. These could be individuals who have been a victim or witness to a crime but have not received specialist support which they need and rightly deserve.

“We are working with the Home Office to establish a sustainable solution to ensure those working in policing are checked against the PND on an ongoing basis and highlighted at the earliest opportunity.”

Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, National Police Chiefs’ Council Chair said:

“The cross checking of records on such a large scale was a significant task which shows our commitment right across policing to identify those who do not meet the high standards expected.

“Police forces responded with urgency, enabling us to carry out the largest integrity screening project that policing has ever seen.  Despite the comparatively low numbers of returns the exercise was important in ensuring we have a strong foundation on which to build an automated process.  We look forward to working with our colleagues across Government and policing to make this a reality.  I hope that it gives further reassurance to communities, and to colleagues in policing, that the overwhelming majority of the workforce can be trusted, and that if you are involved in wrongdoing, there is no place to hide.”

Building on the data wash work, the NPCC is now working with the Home Office to consider a longer term integrity solution for policing which will provide forces with a solution which alerts them to any new information in a timely manner.  

Key results from the historical data wash (full tables here)

• 307, 452 officers, staff and volunteers checked against Police National Database
  • o 461 of those were referred to an appropriate authority and of these:
    • 9 triggered further criminal investigation
    • 88 triggered disciplinary investigation
    • 139 triggered vetting clearance
    • 128 triggered management intervention
    • 97 required no further action

Individuals identified in above step either dealt with through stringent professional standards processes to manage and/or mitigate risk or referred to an appropriate authority[1]. Those referred to an appropriate authority dealt with in one of following ways:

1. Criminal investigation
2. Disciplinary investigation (misconduct)
3. Management intervention (dealt with by supervision)
4. Vetting clearance (re-vetting)
5. No further action

   Notes to editors

   The Police National Database (PND) is a data store of operational policing information and intelligence provided by individual forces. It contains copies of locally held police records covering intelligence, crime, custody, child protection and domestic abuse investigations.

   Process behind the historical data wash

1. Forces prepared HR data on officers and staff so that it could be processed through PND.

• 307, 452 records submitted.
• Completed by end Feb 2023

2. Force data processed through PND in stages

• Not all force data could go through the PND at the same time due to capacity in the system. It was sequenced over a number of weeks.

3. Identify staff where checks indicate potential concerns and investigate

• By September 2023 police forces identified all cases for further investigation and began those investigations. The time taken to reach this stage depended on scale and number of staff completing checks. Investigations were prioritised based on the threat and risk identified 

1.  

• [1] The Appropriate Authority is the term for the person responsible for considering complaints made about the force and/or individuals within. AA’s are the rank of at least the Chief Inspector or Police Staff equivalent with accredited training. They work within the Authorised Professional Practice (APP) and are usually based within a Professional Standards team.  

For the first time, a new report from the Vulnerability Knowledge and Practice Programme (VKPP) sets out publicly a clear, detailed picture of reported Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (CSAE) crimes across England and Wales.  

Based on datasets collected from 42 police forces, this national snapshot gives insight and analysis into the scale and nature of CSAE, trends in offending, including crime types, where they were committed, and presents profiles of both victims and perpetrators. 

The analysis sets out the consistent growth in CSAE reported to police with 107,000 crimes reported to policing a figure that has risen significantly in the last ten years ago. More than half of CSAE offences were committed by children, a significant increase from what was previously known. The report also shows that over a third of CSAE contact crimes take place within the family environment. Group-based CSAE accounts for 5% of all identified and reported CSAE. 

It is known that there is significant under-reporting of these crimes, but policing recognises the value of presenting a known baseline of recorded abuse and harm taking place against children, to inform future understanding. 

The report tells us: 

• There were around 107,000 offences reported in 2022 – a 7.6% increase compared to 2021, nearly quadruple what it is was 10 years ago. Evidence continues to suggest many crimes remains unreported. 
• Around 75% of CSAE offences related to sexual offences committed directly against children, and around 25% relate to online offences of Indecent Images of Children.   
• The crime types regarding CSAE are changing. For example, historically Child-on-Child abuse accounted for around third of offences. The data in the report suggests that today this is just over half.  
• CSAE within the family environment remains a common form of reported abuse, accounting for an estimated 33% of reported contact CSAE crime. Parents and siblings were the two most common relationships featuring. 
• Group-based CSAE accounts for 5% of all identified and reported CSAE ranging from unorganised peer group sharing of imagery, to more organised complex high harm cases with high community impact. 
• Reported CSAE is heavily gendered, as expected, with males (82% of all CSAE perpetrators) predominantly abusing females (79% of victims). Sexual offending involving male victims are more common in offences involving indecent images and younger children. 
• The number of recorded incidents of Online Sexual Abuse continues to grow. It accounts for at least 32% of CSAE.  
• 52% of all CSAE cases involved reports of children (aged 10 to 17) offending against other children with 14 being the most common age. This is a growing and concerning trend involving a wide range of offending. Whilst some include exploratory online sexual behaviours, some of the most prevalent forms include serious sexual assaults, including rape.  

Ian Critchley QPM, NPCC lead Child Abuse Protection and Investigation said: 

“Child abuse is an appalling crime, and this analysis helps us understand more widely the growing challenges we are all facing nationally not least young people growing up today. We also know that sadly reported crime remains significantly lower than the actual crimes of child abuse that take place with the Independent Inquiry reporting 1 in 6 girls and 1 in 20 boys will be abused in childhood, an appalling statistic and one we must all seek to change. This analysis will help police and our partners develop and improve our prevention, disruption, and investigation of these appalling crimes against children.  Whilst policing has made significant developments in its approach to tackling child sexual abuse this analysis enables us to review current approaches, continually adapting and developing our service and ensuring that the voices of children and victims are at the heart of everything we do. 

“Our collective offer must be to prioritise prevention – we must stop abuse happening, preventing the lifelong physical and mental harm it causes. We must give confidence to victims to come forward whether abused yesterday or many years ago, confident that they will receive a service that is of the utmost professionalism wrapped in care and compassion and we must relentlessly bring more offenders of these abhorrent crimes to justice, whilst taking due care not to criminalise young people when it is not warranted.  

“Tackling CSAE is a collaborative effort and requires police, partners and the public to work together to prevent harm, pursue offenders and protect children in a changing world.” 

Wendy Hart, Deputy Director for Child Sexual Abuse at the National Crime Agency, said: 

“As this report shows, the scale of child sexual abuse continues to increase year on year. It highlights that this is a largely hidden crime, and the NCA estimates that there are up to 830,000 adults in the UK that pose some degree of sexual risk to children.  

“We also know from our collective analysis that the severity of offending has increased, as have the complexities faced by law enforcement in tackling it. We are now seeing hyper-realistic images and videos of abuse being created using artificial intelligence, for example, while the rollout of end-to-end encryption by technology platforms makes it a lot more difficult for us to protect children.  

“Alongside our policing partners and Ofcom, we are working closely with industry to ensure platforms have adequate safety measures designed in, and that our collective ability to tackle the threat keeps pace with technology. 

“With over half of reported crimes involving child on child abuse, there has never been a greater need for education is in this space. Children, parents, carers and professionals can find information, resources and advice produced by the NCA’s dedicated education programme at www.thinkuknow.co.uk.” 

Notes to editors: 

Should you have any questions or queries regarding the report do email vkpp@norfolk.police.uk