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The internet came into our lives in the late 1990's, since when it has become an integral part of social interaction. Teenagers and children rely on it as a means of communication through chatrooms, instant messenger and social networking sites such as facebook and bebo. While this interaction is an essential part of young peoples' existence, it is also sometimes abused by predatory individuals using the susceptibility of young people for their own gain
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Our experience in dealing with such abuse began at the same time. While many people communicating on the net were perfectly straightforward and trustable, for almost the first time our children were exposed to an environment whereby they could be approached by people they didn't know, sometimes even from another country, often purporting to be someone they were not. |
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The anonymity of words on a screen made it all too feasible for a teenager to be talking to what they thought was someone of the same age - the predator taking advantage of the child's naivety or susceptibility. We honed our skills right when these dangers started, tackling predators and would-be paedophiles and have kept pace over the years . |
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We worked with the BBC to highlight the dangers, trapping and confronting a man who talked to, approached, and tried to meet what he thought to be a 14 year old schoolgirl, telling her to delete files of their conversations in case people found out. He met the girl - in reality one of our Investigators - and was then confronted on camera by James Westhead of the BBC News. Film of the police helping him in handcuffs can be seen here. The BBC News coverage was mentioned in the Hanson Report and played a part in Part 1 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 becoming law |
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Social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Bebo have increased in popularity. Users will leave personal details open for anyone with even just a little deviousness to use and fake affiliation or peer group membership. Bullying is rife, predators use the information to ingratiate themselves with their target, sometimes to "make friends" - but with sinister motives. The use of social networking sites has become a problem for businesses, for misuse & time spent when they should be doing other things - to the extent that many companies now ban access at work altogether |
