Three people have been arrested in connection with online child sexual abuse offences following a week of action by the police’s cyber unit.
Detectives also seized 19 digital devices suspected to contain indecent images of children and contacted with a number of potential victims to ensure their safety.
The team undertook several enquiries with key witnesses and carried out a further suspect interview.
Officers in the specialised unit work all year round to deal with online offending and to help and safeguard those at risk of being exploited.
Last year they made 38 arrests, carried out 28 search warrants and safeguarded 108 children.
The week of action saw a significant number of enquiries in an intensive period across the county, part of Cumbria Constabulary’s ongoing response to serious and organised crime, Operation Alliance.
Detective Inspector Fiona Gray leads the unit. She said: “The team work incredibly hard day-in-day-out to target those committing online child sexual abuse and, most importantly, to safeguard vulnerable victims who are identified as at risk.
“Those who solely offend online may feel that their offending is somehow less harmful. However, behind every indecent image is a child suffering sexual abuse – and accessing these images fuels the market for such abuse.
“I would also urge people to consider the devastating impact of such offending on their own family as well as their employment.
“We will continue to use the many tools available to us to proactively target those who offend online, safeguard victims and bring offenders to justice.
“I would urge anyone who has concerns, whether for a child vulnerable to sexual abuse or exploitation, or an individual accessing indecent images of children, to share your concerns with the constabulary as soon as possible via any of the various reporting mechanisms available.
“If you have concerns about your own online behaviour additional support is available from the Lucy Faithfull Foundation.”
The week of action took place between January 30 and February 3.
Two of those arrested have been charged and one released on conditional bail.
The cyber and digital crime unit is funded by Cumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner Peter McCall.
DI Gray added: “Tackling online crime and protecting young people is of the utmost importance to us.
“The way criminals who seek to exploit children operate has developed with the continuous advancement in technology.
“Many of the crimes we deal with are unseen to the public, with offenders using online platforms to contact children to groom them into sexual or criminal activity.
“This is happening behind closed doors, sometimes invisible to parents or guardians.
“I would urge people to familiarise themselves with all aspects of their children’s online activity and have regular open and honest discussions with their children about their digital lives.
“Having an open channel of communication will prevent victimisation and enable young people to seek support and advice at an early stage if they find themselves in a difficult situation.”
