AN UNPRECEDENTED campaign has been launched by West Yorkshire Police to tackle the crime of the viewing and sharing of indecent images of children.
Police are reaching out to perpetrators – making them aware that this isn’t a victimless crime and will be dealt as such, as well as encouraging them to seek help now.
Assistant Chief Constable, Catherine Hankinson, said: “Most of the people we arrest for downloading and sharing indecent images of children haven’t come to police attention before and are not what people may think of as a criminal.”
In 2017, 149 adults were arrested in West Yorkshire on suspicion of possession of indecent images of children, including four company directors and two solicitors. Anyone viewing or sharing indecent images of anyone under the age of 18 can be handed with a sentence, social care referrals for any children they have access to and will be added to the sex offenders register. This is alongside several other social consequences.
Support is available for those with concerns about their online habits through charities and not for profit organisations such as the Lucy Faithfull Foundation and the NSPCC.
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