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'Action not jail' for paedophiles 'Action not jail' for paedophiles
(about 4 hours later)
Some child sex offenders should be encouraged to seek treatment rather than be sent to prison, the police's child protection chief says.Some child sex offenders should be encouraged to seek treatment rather than be sent to prison, the police's child protection chief says.
Jim Gamble, of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), said some offenders who viewed child porn could be given a police caution.Jim Gamble, of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), said some offenders who viewed child porn could be given a police caution.
He believes treatment in the community is a practical way of dealing with the huge scale of the problem.He believes treatment in the community is a practical way of dealing with the huge scale of the problem.
The CEOP was launched in April 2006 to tackle child sex abuse in the UK.The CEOP was launched in April 2006 to tackle child sex abuse in the UK.
Since then the centre has received almost 2,000 reports from the police, members of the public, children and other agencies about child exploitation.
We shouldn't be sending everyone that ever commits an offence - particularly of the viewing kind - to prison Jim Gamble, CEOP Men 'avoid volunteering'We shouldn't be sending everyone that ever commits an offence - particularly of the viewing kind - to prison Jim Gamble, CEOP Men 'avoid volunteering'
Mr Gamble said the information flow on paedophilia had increased since the CEOP was established a year ago. Some children's charities criticised Mr Gamble but he pointed out that cautions were already used to manage people who had viewed internet porn.
In order to deal with the scale of the problem, some offenders should receive a police caution and then be managed within the community - not by resorting to jail terms, he said. That included 700 people who were convicted earlier this year as part of an internet child pornography inquiry, Operation Ore.
"Not everyone does go to prison at the minute. Let's make sure the right people go to prison and let's manage the rest in a way that protects our children best," he told BBC News.
'Get help'
Earlier Mr Gamble said the information flow on paedophilia was increasing massively.
He suggested that to deal with the scale of the problem, some offenders should receive a police caution and then be managed within the community.
"We shouldn't be sending everyone that ever commits an offence - particularly of the viewing kind - to prison."We shouldn't be sending everyone that ever commits an offence - particularly of the viewing kind - to prison.
"There are people who have been dealt with by police caution who can be dealt with successfully in a way that allows them to maintain their lives and their families.""There are people who have been dealt with by police caution who can be dealt with successfully in a way that allows them to maintain their lives and their families."
Mr Gamble said he was not referring to paedophiles who committed violent offences like the brutal rape of a child, but he insisted that some offenders "at the beginning of the spread of abuse may benefit from a police caution and can be managed". Mr Gamble said he was not referring to paedophiles who committed violent offences like the rape of a child, but he insisted that some offenders "at the beginning of the spread of abuse may benefit from a police caution and can be managed".
They are just as guilty as the person taking the photos. If they did not view the child would not be abused, therefore I think these people deserve prison Michele Elliot, KidscapeThey are just as guilty as the person taking the photos. If they did not view the child would not be abused, therefore I think these people deserve prison Michele Elliot, Kidscape
He said: "In order to make a meaningful difference here, I'm absolutely positive that we need to engage with the predator in a way that we perhaps haven't before. He said: "We've got to create an active and real deterrent that diverts them (predators) from committing this offence before they do, and that's something that we're really focused on.
"We've got to create an active and real deterrent that diverts them from committing this offence before they do, and that's something that we're really focused on.
"If you're an offender, our message to you today has developed to a stage whereby we're saying 'for goodness' sake, go and get help before you get caught'.""If you're an offender, our message to you today has developed to a stage whereby we're saying 'for goodness' sake, go and get help before you get caught'."
'Bafflement''Bafflement'
The BBC's home editor, Mark Easton, said this was not the usual hardline message from police.
He said Mr Gamble recognised that the criminal justice system could not cope with the scale of the problem and therefore non-custodial solutions were also needed.
Ray Wyre, director of RWA, an independent child protection group that aims to help to rehabilitate sex offenders, said that not everyone who downloaded child pornography was a paedophile.Ray Wyre, director of RWA, an independent child protection group that aims to help to rehabilitate sex offenders, said that not everyone who downloaded child pornography was a paedophile.
"They see a sentence under pictures that says 'three virgins', or something like that, and they get curious as to what that is, and they download it. It's that easy to have illegal images on your computer.""They see a sentence under pictures that says 'three virgins', or something like that, and they get curious as to what that is, and they download it. It's that easy to have illegal images on your computer."
He said people who downloaded child porn were already being given cautions, which led to social services only allowing the offender to have supervised contact with their own children.He said people who downloaded child porn were already being given cautions, which led to social services only allowing the offender to have supervised contact with their own children.
'Just as guilty''Just as guilty'
But Michele Elliot, director of Kidscape, said people who view child pornography should not escape jail.But Michele Elliot, director of Kidscape, said people who view child pornography should not escape jail.
"They are just as guilty as the person taking the photos. If they did not view the child would not be abused, therefore I think these people deserve prison," she said."They are just as guilty as the person taking the photos. If they did not view the child would not be abused, therefore I think these people deserve prison," she said.
HAVE YOUR SAY Not sending people to jail for viewing child porn will only create further demand for it Mohammed, London Send us your comments
The Sun's managing editor Graham Dudman told BBC Radio 4's Today's programme that people's reaction to Mr Gamble's comments would be "bafflement, outrage and anger".The Sun's managing editor Graham Dudman told BBC Radio 4's Today's programme that people's reaction to Mr Gamble's comments would be "bafflement, outrage and anger".
"Viewing is the same as arranging or taking these photos. If we cannot protect our children by sending predatory paedophiles to prison then we have truly lost the plot.""Viewing is the same as arranging or taking these photos. If we cannot protect our children by sending predatory paedophiles to prison then we have truly lost the plot."
Research by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) found that 16% of women and 7% of men claimed to have been sexually abused involving physical contact before the age of 12. That suggests that one in nine pre-teenage children has suffered abuse.Research by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) found that 16% of women and 7% of men claimed to have been sexually abused involving physical contact before the age of 12. That suggests that one in nine pre-teenage children has suffered abuse.
The research helped to launch the charity's "full-stop" campaign to counter child abuse.The research helped to launch the charity's "full-stop" campaign to counter child abuse.