Police child abuse team records double UK average for positive outcomes
Nation.Cymru staff
A specialist police team investigating online child abuse has recorded a positive outcome rate twice the UK average.
North Wales Police’s Online Child Abuse Investigation Team (OCAIT) recorded a 60% positive outcome rate in investigations into the sexual exploitation of children, compared with a national average of around 30% in 2025/26.
A positive outcome is recorded when action is taken following an arrest and can include charges, a court summons, postal requisition, caution or community or restorative resolution.
The team also refers individuals to support and education programmes aimed at preventing further offending.
Detective Inspector Sofiah Valentine said: “We continue our unwavering commitment to make North Wales the safest place in the UK by stopping perpetrators of online child abuse.
“The recent figures demonstrate the great work being done to bring perpetrators of online child abuse to justice and protect children from harm.”
Police have also issued a warning to parents about the potential misuse of photographs of children posted online.
The force said figures from the Internet Watch Foundation showed AI-generated child sexual abuse material increased by 26,000% in 2025.
AI
DI Valentine said: “Nationally, we are seeing an increase in AI-generated indecent images made using innocent images posted online.
“My plea to parents and carers as children go back to school is to think carefully about who can see what you are posting on social media, and what those photos tell the world about your children.
“A photo could tell a perpetrator lots of personal information about a child, such as where they go to school, how old they are and even where they live. They could take a family photo and use AI tools to create child abuse imagery.
“This may be alarming for parents but there are simple steps that can be taken to prevent images of children being misused to create illegal child abuse imagery.”
The Internet Watch Foundation and National Crime Agency advise parents and carers to keep social media accounts private and consider using “close friends” lists when sharing photographs of children.
They also recommend reviewing existing posts showing a child’s face, body or school uniform and checking photographs shared by family and friends.
Parents are advised to consider what schools and clubs publish and review any consent forms they have signed allowing images to be used.
Anyone concerned about online child sexual exploitation can report information to police or anonymously through Crimestoppers, while young people can use Childline’s Report Remove service to confidentially report sexual images of themselves online.
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
Get more trusted Welsh news
Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.
