Low level paedophiles who view indecent images ‘should not be jailed’, according to police chief

A top child protection officer has said lower level paedophiles should not be locked up, with a focus instead on counselling and rehabilitation.

Simon Bailey, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for child protection, is reported to have suggested that paedophiles who view indecent images should not be given criminal sanctions unless they pose a physical threat to children.

According to The Times, Mr Bailey said that police should focus on the most dangerous paedophiles with access to children and those looking at the most serious images.

Offenders who view online images should avoid jail only if they have been risk-assessed and shown to not have the potential to be in contact with children, he reportedly told the newspaper.

The Times quoted Mr Bailey as acknowledging many people may be horrified at the stance but alternatives needed to be looked at as increasing reports of sexual abuse have pushed the situation to “saturation point”.

He reportedly told the paper: “Let’s be really clear: somebody going online and using their credit card to direct the abuse of a child in the Philippines should be locked up, categorically.

“That individual who is not in contact with children and doesn’t pose a threat to children and is looking at low-level images… when you look at everything else that’s going on, and the threat that’s posed of contact abuse to children, we have to look at doing something different with those individuals.

“Do the Crown Prosecution Service, the courts and the police have the capacity to put them into the justice system?”

Mr Bailey said that the scale of the problem meant police needed to concentrate their resources on the offenders who posed the most serious risk to children.

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He said they were currently arresting 400 men a month and were still only seeing the “tip of the iceberg”.

He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: ”There are undoubtedly tens of thousands of men that are seeking to exploit children online with a view to meeting them, with a view to then raping them and performing the most awful sexual abuse upon them.

“That’s where I believe our focus has got to be. They are the individuals that pose the really significant threat.”

An NSPCC spokesman appeared to back up the view, saying: “It is clear from these staggering levels of recorded child sex offences that police have a huge number of cases to investigate, often with limited resources.

“Prison sentences serve a vital purpose in reflecting the severity of the crime, protecting the public, acting as a deterrent, and helping a victim see their offender deservedly brought to justice.

“But we cannot arrest our way out of the situation – if we are to stem this tide and protect more children we must make prevention and rehabilitation a priority.

“With the right support we can prevent offenders from abusing and help those who do harm children change their behaviour.”

Top pic: Pexels