Internet child abuse warning
Tuesday 25th August 2009, 4:32PM BST.
Acting Chief Officer David Warcup.
JERSEY’S acting police chief is warning parents to get more involved with what their children are doing online.
David Warcup said that children are at risk of being exploited by paedophiles on the internet unless their parents are more aware of what they are doing.
He has issued his warning following the release of the States police’s half-yearly figures, which show that child abuse referrals have increased by 260 per cent in two years.
The figures recently released by the States police show an increase of 65 child abuse referrals in 2007 to 234 for the first six months of this year.
The referrals relate to the physical and sexual abuse of minors and child neglect.
• See Tuesday’s JEP for full story.
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I think we really need a change in attitude i.e parents actually supervising their children but also not raising them to tell lies which will ruin people’s reputation and careers. I missed the part where innocent people should be sacrificed on the altar of child protection.
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So, the acting Chief Police Officer is concerned about paedophilia on the Island, is he?
This would be risible – if it was not for Jersey’s all too rich and notorious history of unchecked and uninvestigated paedophilia in the past.
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If kids can access “porn-sites” when doing computer studies at school, under the noses of the teaching staff, parents have no chance when they are downstairs and the kids are upstairs supposedly “doing their homework”
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Great advice Mr Warcup, the vast majority of parents already know this and do check their children’s internet activities and email!
However, how can I check that when my children are at school?
We are informed they cannot access the likes of Facebook, Messenger etc, yet it is common for the children at secondary schools to go on such sites, and this(at times) with the teacher’s knowledge.
This I have seen myself from comments that have been placed on Facebook during the school day whilst one of my children is at school, and I have had to tell my child off when they are under the supervision of the school.
The parents at times are an easy target, however I suggest Mr Warcup you aim your comments closer to home and start with the education minister first!
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I congratulate the acting Chief Police Officer for his concern about possible future occurences of child exploitation through the internet. I would be more impressed by investigation and procesution into events that may have occured before that avenue was available to paeodophiles.
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HdlG made the subject of child abuse in the Island easier to talk about. The more people who are (legitimately) reported to the Police the better. So in a peverse way I am glad the numbers are increasing. The level of abuse is not likely to be increasing just that more people (children and adults) now have more confidence to speak out.
So this will be the final legacy of the HdlG investigation. The more that people report, the more fear a person will have of “their little secret” being reported by the victim.
Prevention is better than cure!
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It is very easy to bypass any Internet control software by using a third party proxy and it will not show up in most logging programs.
Using a blind proxy seems like rocket science to most
adults but children view it as a good way to protect their privacy!
Once again the horses are running around St Mary while the gates are being bolted at at Plod Central and Education.
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I am a retired police officer and for a number of years I served on the Child Protection Team (as it was then called).
I can say in all honesty, that we investigated every case of alleged paedophilia that was referred to us. Everyone on the team was keen to get a good result and obtain sufficient evidence for a conviction, where an allegation could be substantiated.
There are many problems associated with these type of enquires, mostly to do with the law on evidence and procedure.
Children and young people are often too embarrassed to report that they have been sexually assaulted. Also there are many difficulties in gathering verbal accounts from young children who often have limited cognitive abilities.
Frequently prosecution files were submitted by the police to the Crown Offices, only for the Crown Advocates to say there was insufficient evidence to pursue a successful prosecution.
We strongly suspected that the offences had occurred and I imagine the Crown’s lawyers also believed we were right.
The problem is in a court of law, we have to prove the case beyond all reasonable doubt and we have to comply with the laws on gathering evidence.
It is all very well for the public to criticise the police, but the majority of people don’t understand how hard it is to get a conviction for child abuse, especially when a defence lawyer is telling his or her client to remain silent. The successful outcome of a case often depends on a thorough interview with a suspect, but this was often thwarted by lawyers telling them to make no comment. (In the U.K. the law on the right to silence has changed, so that an inference can now be made when a suspect makes no comment) – Mr. Robin Short,a former Magistrate in Jersey used to say, “Guilt hides in the dark. Innocence cires out to be heard.”
The fact that a pornographic image of children under the age of 16 is an offence in Jersey, is mainly due to the States of Jersey Police.
Prior to the early 1990s this wasn’t an offence on the Island and it was only because the States of Jersey Police’s Child Protection Team highlighted the U.K’s Protection of Children Act 1978, that the States introduced legislation to prohibit this sort of activity. Prior to this the Island’s legislators hadn’t spotted this oversight.
Since the introduction of this law, numerous people have been convicted of this type of offence. When these images are linked to the internet it has flagged up many paedophiles in the Island.
Yes what the Acting Chief Officer has said about the internet seems obvious to many of us, but surely there is no harm in him reiterating this warning.
The police are by no means perfect, but neither is anyone else. We are all human and to err is to be human.
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‘increase of 65 child abuse referrals in 2007 to 234 for the first six months of this year’
That’s a massive hike or does that cover 2008 and as well?
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Statistics don’t tell the full story. Many referrals concerning sexual abuse may be historical incidents,that have occurred many years ago, as we have seen with the recent H de la G cases.
Then there are those cases where the police receive a number of false allegations, where complainants are seeking attention, or are suffering psychological problems.
Many referrals may relate to physical abuse, where a parent, carer, or older sibling may have used excessive force on a child.
The police in Jersey have to record all crimes reported to them, whether or they are substaniated reports – this will give a false impression as to what has actually occurred.
Fianlly I believe youngsters nowadays, frequently have far better computer skills than their parents and can no doubt bypass some security measures put in place to deny them access to inappropriate sites, or reduce the likelihood of contact with paedophiles.
All of this makes the work of the police that much more difficult.
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ZBD – excellent post.
What this raises though is does the burden of proof in these cases need to be changed? I have read that less than 10% of cases of abuse that are referred to the Police actually result in a conviction; and I think ZBD has given many reasons for this. With such a low conviction rate I can see why the abused do not come forward as much as they should if all the pain they have to go through in exposing the abuse doesn’t result in the abuser being held to account.
The HdlG investigation is a good example of this; over 100 people made statements to the Police; over 20 people arrested and so far 2 (Aubin and Wateridge)convicted. (Donnelly was not part of HdlG investigation).
So what to do? At present there is not enough of a deterrent as even if the abuser is caught it doesn’t mean he/she will be convicted.
Any suggestions ZBD?
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Paul wrote (in comment #6):
“The more that people report, the more fear a person will have of “their little secret” being reported by the victim.”
There is an entire room in the Jersey War Tunnels devoted to just that thought.
We do not want a return to the officious vigilantism of the Boche occupation years.
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Child abuse is a terrible crime. It has taken place in Jersey as it has everywhere else.
However I believe that the current climate of hysteria has made it almost impossible for anyone to receive any real justice in Jersey when charged with such crimes.
Suspicion is not proof. If someone makes an accusation without evidence, that accusation is viewed accordingly for all types of crimes except those of a sexual nature.
I believe this has to do with the difficulty in proving such crimes as well as the natural outrage people feel at the idea of someone harming an innocent child.
I reiterate that no one is guilty without proof and that I believe this has all gone too far.
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Paul # 11 The standards of proof are high so that innocent people don’t get wrongly convicted.
Strangely I still believe this is the right way to deal with child abuse, even though it used to upset me when I couln’t solve a case.
Frank Castle # 13 is right, suspicion isn’t proof. The thing is young children don’t have the cognitave ability to make up accounts about sexual acts, unless they have actually experienced them.
If more than one child has been abused, then maybe Jersey should look at using ‘evidence of similar fact’ under the Moorov doctrine, as used in Scotland. Other than that I have no suggestions as to how improvements can be made……my knowledge on the subject is out of date. Oh there is one more thing, they could change the right of silence in Jersey, so that inference can be drawn from no comment interviews (Maybe they have already done this – I am no longer up to speed on Jersey Law)
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ZBD, I would have to disagree with you there. A study by the one of the largest teaching unions, NASUWT showed that only 5% of abuse allegations are borne out.
I am a member of FACT – Falsely Accused Carers and Teachers. We have records of 12,500 cases in the UK where the allegations have been shown to be false.
I do not say that the accusations were simply thrown out through lack of evidence or that they merely did not result in formal charges being brought, by false I mean false whereby evidence has been discovered vindicating the accused or the accuser has later admitted their deception.
While I am sure they occupy a slim minority children can and do lie about such things. Their reasons for lying can sometimes be understandable. It is sometimes a way of highlighting genuine abuse which has taken place in their life from another party. Bizarrely it can be away of expressing attraction to their accuser. Others still may find the concept amusing.
At the risk of labouring the point, we must remember that anyone accused of any crime is presumed innocent and should be treated accordingly. If there is evidence of foul play of course the duty of the Police and Judiciary is clear.
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To address your points regarding similar fact evidence and the right to silence, I do not see why our ineptitude at catching enough of these people should lead to an erosion of civil liberties.
The right to silence has been mitigated in the UK but it is still enjoyed in almost every other European State and the USA. In my opinion they have it right and we have it wrong. It protects innocent people under suspicious circumstances inasmuch as it protects the guilty. (Youtube has a wonderful video about this concept named “Don’t talk to cops”, it’s very entertaining and informative.)
In the case of simple denial, I can’t see how this would be of much help to the Police in any case. If there is evidence which clearly demonstrates the evidence of the suspect, they can always present this in court – they may after all be a little intimidated about being hauled into a Police Station.
I don’t want you to feel I’m lecturing you on the law here, I really don’t as none of us can match the years of service you dedicated to the island.
I think it’s important however to retain a sense of perspective and ask that justice be served in each case.
Even if we were able to better protect children (which is doubtful) by eroding people’s basic rights, it would be protecting one group of innocent people from abuse through abusing another, I see it as self defeating and unnecessary.
You say to Paul that the standard of evidence is so high at trial that innocent people do not get wrongly convicted. I could certainly show you a list of names of people who have indeed but falsely accused and convicted but even if we had a 100% success rate at trial there is more at stake here.
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I can say with certainty ZBD that children are quite capable of lying about such things! However, I feel sure that they are the exception rather than the rule. NJ.
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N.J. # 15. Yes children are very capable of lying, but in most cases it would be very difficult for them to describe certain sexual activity, unless they actually experienced it.
Obviously it would be easier for an adult to make up an account of historical abuse, as their cognitive abilities are more developed (well usually, anyhow).
Don’t forget many people have developed Machiavellian ways by the time they become adults and everyone is very capable of lying – it is a very human trait.
Child abusers often tell you what they have done to children, but then usually always minimise their crimes, by blaming the victim or somebody else, or not giving the entire truth.
To be perfectly honest, most of us tend to minimise our sins and this is often due to the shame we experience.
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You’re quite right ZBD, I suppose it is a human tendency, obviously in the case of this type of person we hope that they won’t break the law in the first place so no child is harmed.
I agree that certain sexual acts would be quite difficult to make up in retrospect but that would only be conclusive as you say if the child had not subsequently commenced a lawful physical relationship.
In addition, the type of contact alleged here would not be difficult to invent. It is all too easy to say you received a Facebook message, e-mail or SMS. Mass media is such that children may actually be able to use fairly adult language also.
My take on it is that if no actual evidence of said communication can be produced i.e a printout of the message, a phone record of a call, then the Police should not proceed any further with regard to interviewing or arresting a suspect.
If innocent it would be to the ruination of their career and reputation which would be undeserved. If guilty, there’d be no point the Police tipping their hand so early on as they could use surveillance to gather further data.
NJ.
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N.J # 17. Under the law, people under the age of 16 can not consent to sexual acts.
Corroboration is required for sexual offences and evidence given by children. Unless there is corroboration available, I very much doubt the police would recommend a prosecution.
Importantly any prosecution for sexual offences need the consent of the Attorney General, so there are plenty of safeguards in place to reduce the likelihood of a miscarriage of justice.
On the issue of damaging an accused’s reputation, even if he is acquitted, it has been sugested that consideration should be given to giving him anonimity until convicted in Court. Maybe this could be the way forward.
All police investigations should to be complete, thorough and ethical, especailly in child abuse cases.
I think you’ll find the police in Jersey have some excellent child abuse investigators, who are highly dedicated – well I would say that wouldn’t I.
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You’re right of course ZBD, my experience of the Police is that they are extremely professional and discrete.
The nature of the crime itself lends itself too easily to a mere allegation being incredibly destructive, perhaps it can be compared to women who cry rape when they have legally consented.
I certainly think anonymity would be a good safeguard however I also believe that such is the hysteria that grips Jersey at present, members of the public are putting huge amounts of pressure on the Police to secure convictions and investigate where such activities are unwarranted.
As you say, every investigation needs to be thorough and complete but I think the Police need to be more vocal in pointing out that they cannot be used as a weapon against anyone and exist to uphold the law as it stands.
This may sound a little like I am sympathising with an abuser over a victim, however in my view a plaintiff does not become a victim until the defendant has been convicted in court.
Until then they enjoy the presumption of innocence – this is not a point of view which I feel prevails in Jersey currently. NJ.
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N.J. # 21. The British Crime Survey shows that over 50% of crime is not reported to the police and it is highly probable that sexual offences form a high proportion of unreported crimes.
How would you like to tell someone about your last sexual experience? Especially if it is forced on you and it is an unwanted act.
It is even worse for a child to report a close relative, or family friend – they have to consider whether or not they will be believed and the consequences of reporting what occurred….the abuser often makes threats that if the complaiant reports the alleged abuse, something horrible will happen to them or a parent.
The police should always approach each case with an open mind. In the U.K. the Criminal Procedure and Investigation Act 1996, highlighted the the police shouldn’t just build up a case againt an accused, but should be impartial and also make evidence available for the defence too.(I am unaware if Jersey now has similar legislation or procedures in place, as I have been out of the loop for too many years).
I agree there should always be a presumption of innocence, but often police officers see how the cards are stacked and make up their own minds on who they believe – it is just being human and difficult not to think in this way.
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ZBD, I think it’s a little fruitless to speculate on the amount of unreported crime as by definition it is unknown – the Police themselves cannot know what proportion of any type of criminal they are catching though I would imagine with the advent of computer and forensic science we are more efficient than we were.
There is naturally a certain amount of reticence on the part of someone who claims abuse as there may be some degree of shame and I would be the first as I’m sure you would to encourage anyone who’s been the victim of crime to come forward.
I’d like to balance the trauma of a victim being given testimony with the horror of being suspected oneself of being an abuser – of course in some cases that level of stress is totally warranted. In the case of innocent people however, they are dealt a blow from which they can never really recover, particularly given the lack of anonymity you mentioned and the fact that Jersey is such a small place.
Naturally as you say if the Police automatically assumed innocence they wouldn’t get very far with their enquiries however this is not going to traumatise anyone provided said enquiries are performed discretely and that any information garnered is held in strictest confidence until such time as it is sufficient to charge someone.
None of this should serve to rubbish the “copper’s nose” which no doubt is invaluable in the detection of crime, however considering how yesterdays JEP had a Superintendent stating that the Haut de la Garenne dig was a waste of time, I think I’m safe in saying that this whole affair has been a witch hunt with only a handful of true perpetrators. NJ.
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Unfortunately TV is making it easier and easier for children to lie convincingly. On the flip side sometimes it is what helps children realise that what is happening to them is wrong.
I didn’t ‘realise’ to tell someone what had happened to me till I was about 17. Child abuse wasn’t in the media when I was little, not like it is now anyway. And yet looking back, and with my training, I know that I lived out the ‘cliched life’ of an abused child.
Unfortunately now kids are told by television what behaviours tend to appear after child abuse and can copy them if they want to.
It’s a catch 22, we need kids to have the knowledge to talk if they have been abused but at the same time we are making it easier for kids to lie. We need to be teaching children just how serious a false accusation can be for the accused.
I get seriously angry at people who make false accusations and have given my support to a friend who was falsely accused. It is possible for an abused person to go on to lead a very happy, successful life, unfortunately the same can not be said of someone who is falsely accused.
As for the internet. Parents need to start accepting that their child is not ‘different’. It is a perfectly normal part of a child’s development to reach an age where they want to express some sexuality even in front of strangers. To stifle it, get embarrassed or pretend it won’t happen to your child is not the way to deal with it. Often this might just be wearing low-cut tops as the body develops but it can be more serious than that. Usually it will happen around age 13 but can start younger.
What we have to limit is the outlet children have for this expression, but too many children have computers and internet access in the privacy of their rooms. Also, all children (like all adults) are susceptible to the person who just happens to ‘say the right thing’ to them, be it online or in person. Why else do so many seemingly intelligent adults go into relationships with total creeps? If your child has the ability to access chat rooms and has contact with someone who manages to come across as an amazing person then nothing you can say is going to convince them otherwise as they ‘know’ the person and you don’t.
You can give your child access to a computer and the internet in a public room without making them feel that they are being watched. It is possible and it is necessary and when you child is older they WILL understand!
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Nathan, whilst I pointed out the reasons why many people don’t report child abuse, I would be the first to encourage every victim of crime to report the occurrence to the police.
Knowing that more than 50% of crime goes unreported to the police is more than mere speculation. There is emperical evidence provided in successive studies by criminologists.
Irrespective of who alleges what, I have said elsewhere on this site, there is a saying ,”It is better for ten guilty men to go free than for one innocent man to be convicted.” Whilst I can not honestly totally subscribe to this view, I would be horrified if my work had led to the conviction of an innocent person.
A ‘copper’s nose’ is a recognised acquired skill and I’d be the last to ridicule using a sixth sense such as this. But this needs to be backed up with the gathering of admissible evidence that can be presented in a court of law.
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I think I’ve said my piece and it seems as if we’re all in agreement that false accusations can be devastating and that the Police require rigorous standards of evidence before charging someone.
Probably the most effective thing we can do to combat this, is to do as David Warcup has done and as Leah said she saw on television – raise awareness on this issue.
I’ve been shouted down for this by everyone I speak to but I still maintain that the best solution is to have one family computer in a communal area such as the living room.
Obviously the parent doesn’t have to (and shouldn’t) look over the child’s shoulder all the time but I feel that would strike the best balance between a need for privacy and making sure the child is safe.
This has the added advantage of being cheaper than having a wireless network and a laptop per child!
NJ.
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Nathan. # 26 I am in total agreement with your view about David Warcup and Leah Holmes’s views on rasining awareness on this issue.
In addition to this the Children’s Service and Police need to continue to work tirelessly to prevent and detect child abuse.
Let us hope that the events at H de la G haven’t seriously damaged the working relationship between these two agencies and that they will repair any damage done in recent years.
Of all the crimes that are committed, child abuse has to be amongst the worst. Detecting those people who download / collect child pronography, will help identify those who have a high potential to commit child abuse.
Reducing the opportunity for paedophiles to groom potential victims is another vital aspect in the fight against child abuse.
Although I consider myself to be a technophobe, maybe in the future technology will find an answer (on the other hand this may not be possible…come on I.T. wizz kids, let us know).
In the meantime, without creating too much paranoia, parents need to do their best to monitor their youngster’s access to the internet.
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