Written question asked by Margaret Moran (Labour) on Wednesday, 4 November 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 9 November 2009. It was answered by Alan Campbell (Labour) on Thursday, 12 November 2009 on behalf of the Home Office.

Offences Against Children: Internet

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) guidance and (b) training has been provided to the police on the relationship between viewing images of child abuse online and child abuse.

Answer: The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre offers a range of training courses for professionals (mainly police officers but also others who work in child protection) designed to do two things. Firstly, to help delegates better understand the nature of sexual offending and secondly to impart the skills and knowledge that can better equip professionals to deal with the difficult and distressing nature of this crime. Many of CEOP's training courses are based on material gathered during investigations, and case studies of sex offenders interviewed by CEOP's dedicated Behavioural Analysis Unit (BAU). CEOP also offers operational consultancy through its BAU to forces and child protection agencies across the UK.

Secondary information