IWF comment following the National Crime Agency (NCA) operational announcement

The NCA released details of an operation involving 660 suspected paedophiles which can be read here.

The IWF has issued a statement in relation to the operation.

Susie Hargreaves, IWF CEO said: “This is an unprecedented operation and a fabulous show of partnership working across the policing spectrum in the UK. It’s clear that a significant blow has been dealt to those who abuse children and abuse the internet. Regardless of whether someone has produced the images, traded or collected them, it revictimises vulnerable children time and time again.  

“The IWF works closely with the online industry, NCA CEOP, and police forces nationally and internationally to remove child sexual abuse imagery from the internet. Less than 1% of known child sexual abuse images are hosted in the UK and the IWF is working hard internationally to speed up the action taken abroad to remove these images.

“As people abuse different technologies it's vital that all organisations work together to combat this criminality.”
 
Notes to editors:

Contact: Emma Hardy, IWF Director of External Relations +44 (0) 1223 203030, +44 (0) 7929 553679 or [email protected]
About the Internet Watch Foundation

The IWF is the Hotline to report:

    child sexual abuse content hosted anywhere in the world;
    criminally obscene adult content hosted in the UK;
    non-photographic child sexual abuse images hosted in the UK.

For more information please visit www.iwf.org.uk.
The IWF is part of the UK Safer Internet Centre, working with Childnet International and the South West Grid for Learning to promote the safe and responsible use of technology.