Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre
Encyclopedia
The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), formed in April 2006, is a UK cross agency and cross business department of the Serious Organised Crime Agency
, which is tasked to work both nationally and internationally to bring online child sex offenders
, including those involved in the production, distribution and viewing of child abuse material
, to the UK courts.
and Childnet
, Microsoft
and AOL
. Partnerships have been set up across non-government bodies, including: NCH
, NSPCC
, Barnardos; business (Microsoft, AOL, Serco, Vodafone
etc) and UK Government departments (Children, Schools and Families; Home Office; Foreign and Commonwealth Office etc). CEOP works with organisations such as The Scout Association
, the Football Association
, the England and Wales Cricket Board
, British Telecom, and Lycos
to widen the scope of its work.
. This was set up in 2004 and provides an international alliance of law enforcement agencies across Australia
, the USA and Canada
as well as Interpol
in bringing a global policing response to tackling documented child abuse.
.co.uk are dealt with at any time of day so that law enforcement action can be taken. The Harm Reduction faculty manage Public Awareness campaigns and educational programmes, including the ThinkUKnow
education programme, which is currently being used in UK schools. The Operations Faculty aims to tackle both abusers and those who exploit children for financial gain.
Jim Gamble was Chief Executive of CEOP until he resigned in October 2010 over a row concerning the proposed integration of CEOP with the National Crime Agency. A senior police officer of 25 years, he was head of the Northern Ireland anti-terrorist intelligence unit in Belfast, then most recently tackled organised crime as the Deputy Director of the National Crime Squad
. In March 2010 Gamble called for a "panic button" - for the public to report suspected paedophiles - to be installed on the main profile page of every Facebook
user.
, Surrey
, was sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court
where he admitted grooming schoolgirls for sex. Costi was caught when a Nottingham
girl told her mother about his chatroom messages.
Following this, in June 2007, Timothy Cox was jailed at a court in Buxhall
, Suffolk
, following a 10-month operation by CEOP Officers, as well as other Virtual Global Taskforce
Members, leading to 700 new suspects being followed up by law enforcement agencies around the world.
Serious Organised Crime Agency
The Serious Organised Crime Agency is a non-departmental public body of the Government of the United Kingdom under Home Office sponsorship...
, which is tasked to work both nationally and internationally to bring online child sex offenders
Child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities , indecent exposure with intent to gratify their own sexual desires or to...
, including those involved in the production, distribution and viewing of child abuse material
Child pornography
Child pornography refers to images or films and, in some cases, writings depicting sexually explicit activities involving a child...
, to the UK courts.
Purpose and operations
CEOP combines police powers with expertise from the business sector, government, specialist charities and other interested organisations.Partners
CEOP is made up of police officers with specialist experience of tracking and prosecuting sex offenders working with people from organisations including the NSPCCNSPCC
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children is a United Kingdom charity campaigning and working in child protection.-History:...
and Childnet
Childnet
Childnet International is a registered UK charity that is working towards making the Internet safer for children. They offer online safety advice to parents, young people and teachers.-History and mission:...
, Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
and AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
. Partnerships have been set up across non-government bodies, including: NCH
NCH
Action for Children is a national children’s charity in the United Kingdom that supports and speaks out for the most vulnerable and neglected children, young people, families and their communities....
, NSPCC
NSPCC
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children is a United Kingdom charity campaigning and working in child protection.-History:...
, Barnardos; business (Microsoft, AOL, Serco, Vodafone
Vodafone
Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
etc) and UK Government departments (Children, Schools and Families; Home Office; Foreign and Commonwealth Office etc). CEOP works with organisations such as The Scout Association
The Scout Association
The Scout Association is the World Organization of the Scout Movement recognised Scouting association in the United Kingdom. Scouting began in 1907 through the efforts of Robert Baden-Powell. The Scout Association was formed under its previous name, The Boy Scout Association, in 1910 by the grant...
, the Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
, the England and Wales Cricket Board
England and Wales Cricket Board
The England and Wales Cricket Board is the governing body of cricket in England and Wales. It was created on 1 January 1997 combining the roles of the Test and County Cricket Board, the National Cricket Association and the Cricket Council...
, British Telecom, and Lycos
Lycos
Lycos, Inc. is a search engine and web portal established in 1994. Lycos also encompasses a network of email, webhosting, social networking, and entertainment websites.-Corporate history:...
to widen the scope of its work.
Global work
The CEOP Centre is also a partner in an international law enforcement alliance – the Virtual Global TaskforceVirtual Global Taskforce
Virtual Global Taskforce is a group of law enforcement agencies from around the world working together to fight child pornography online. The aim of the VGT is to build an effective, international partnership of law enforcement agencies that helps to protect children from online child abuse.The...
. This was set up in 2004 and provides an international alliance of law enforcement agencies across Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the USA and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
as well as Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
in bringing a global policing response to tackling documented child abuse.
Faculties
The centre is split into three faculties; Intelligence, Harm Reduction and Operations. Each faculty is supported by teams covering governance, communications, partnerships and corporate services. The intelligence faculty receive intelligence of online and offline offenders; all reports made through the centre's website, and ThinkUKnowThinkUKnow
ThinkUKnow is the education programme of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre aimed at young people, and encourages Internet. safety It is based around 3 key themes; very interesting* How to Have Fun...
.co.uk are dealt with at any time of day so that law enforcement action can be taken. The Harm Reduction faculty manage Public Awareness campaigns and educational programmes, including the ThinkUKnow
ThinkUKnow
ThinkUKnow is the education programme of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre aimed at young people, and encourages Internet. safety It is based around 3 key themes; very interesting* How to Have Fun...
education programme, which is currently being used in UK schools. The Operations Faculty aims to tackle both abusers and those who exploit children for financial gain.
CEO
- Main article: Jim GambleJim GambleJames "Jim" Gamble QPM is a senior British Police officer from Bangor in Northern Ireland. He is the former chief executive of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre , a police unit affiliated to the Serious Organised Crime Agency in the United Kingdom. He resigned in October 2010...
Jim Gamble was Chief Executive of CEOP until he resigned in October 2010 over a row concerning the proposed integration of CEOP with the National Crime Agency. A senior police officer of 25 years, he was head of the Northern Ireland anti-terrorist intelligence unit in Belfast, then most recently tackled organised crime as the Deputy Director of the National Crime Squad
National Criminal Intelligence Service
The National Criminal Intelligence Service was a United Kingdom policing agency set up as a separate body in April 1992 to centralise the gathering and distribution of intelligence on serious and organised criminal matters. NCIS was formed out of the National Drugs Intelligence Unit in the Home...
. In March 2010 Gamble called for a "panic button" - for the public to report suspected paedophiles - to be installed on the main profile page of every Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
user.
Prosecutions
CEOP gained its first successful prosectution in June 2006, when Lee Costi, 21, of HaslemereHaslemere
Haslemere is a town in Surrey, England, close to the border with both Hampshire and West Sussex. The major road between London and Portsmouth, the A3, lies to the west, and a branch of the River Wey to the south. Haslemere is approximately south-west of Guildford.Haslemere is surrounded by hills,...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, was sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court
Nottingham Crown Court
Nottingham Crown Court, or more formally the High Court of Justice and Crown Court, Nottingham is a Crown Court and High Court of Justice in Nottingham, England.-Description:...
where he admitted grooming schoolgirls for sex. Costi was caught when a Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
girl told her mother about his chatroom messages.
Following this, in June 2007, Timothy Cox was jailed at a court in Buxhall
Buxhall
Buxhall is a village and a civil parish in the Mid Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England. The nearest town is Stowmarket. It is home to public house, Buxhall Windmill, and a village recreation ground with children's play area....
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, following a 10-month operation by CEOP Officers, as well as other Virtual Global Taskforce
Virtual Global Taskforce
Virtual Global Taskforce is a group of law enforcement agencies from around the world working together to fight child pornography online. The aim of the VGT is to build an effective, international partnership of law enforcement agencies that helps to protect children from online child abuse.The...
Members, leading to 700 new suspects being followed up by law enforcement agencies around the world.
See also
- Internet Watch FoundationInternet Watch FoundationThe Internet Watch Foundation is a non-governmental charitable body based in the United Kingdom. It states that its remit is "to minimise the availability of 'potentially criminal' Internet content, specifically images of child sexual abuse hosted anywhere, and criminally obscene adult content in...
- Serious Organised Crime AgencySerious Organised Crime AgencyThe Serious Organised Crime Agency is a non-departmental public body of the Government of the United Kingdom under Home Office sponsorship...
- Jim GambleJim GambleJames "Jim" Gamble QPM is a senior British Police officer from Bangor in Northern Ireland. He is the former chief executive of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre , a police unit affiliated to the Serious Organised Crime Agency in the United Kingdom. He resigned in October 2010...
- ThinkUKnowThinkUKnowThinkUKnow is the education programme of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre aimed at young people, and encourages Internet. safety It is based around 3 key themes; very interesting* How to Have Fun...
- Virtual Global TaskforceVirtual Global TaskforceVirtual Global Taskforce is a group of law enforcement agencies from around the world working together to fight child pornography online. The aim of the VGT is to build an effective, international partnership of law enforcement agencies that helps to protect children from online child abuse.The...
External links
- CEOP homepage
- Report Child Abuse or Grooming online
- Thinkuknow - CEOP education programme for young people