November 17, 2006: New Website Identifies Sex Offenders

A number of the UK's most wanted child sex offenders have been publicly identified on the internet for the first time. Details of convicted paedophiles have been published online by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) centre.

Launched in April 2006, the CEOP centre works across the UK and maximises international links to deliver a holistic approach that combines police powers with the dedicated expertise of business sectors, government, specialist charities and other interested organisations - all focused on tackling child sex abuse. The website is being operated in conjunction with the Crimestoppers Most Wanted site. While the CEOP website provides names and photographs of the offenders, it does not (unlike many comparable American websites) provide details of their convictions.

The child sex offenders in question have neglected to comply with the restrictions imposed on their movements and have thus breached their notification requirements, which are a condition of their listing on the Sex Offenders Register. Those listed on the register must inform police within 3 days of moving home or changing their name, and confirm their registration annually, or face a maximum 5 year prison sentence.

The register includes records of those required to register with the Police under the Sexual Offences Act 2003. The requirement to register was originally imposed by the Sex Offenders Act 1997. The 1997 Act was amended by the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 to include the requirement to notify police of any foreign travel arrangements. The 1997 Act was repealed by the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

The CEOP is a law enforcement organisation with an individual approach. It works across a wide perspective, co-ordinating action whether it is with local police forces or other relevant bodies. The organisation itself is made up of police officers with extensive and specialist experience of tracking and prosecuting sex offenders working with dedicated professionals from organisations such as the NSPCC and Childnet, as well as secondments from key IT providers such as Microsoft and AOL.

The CEOP Centre is also instrumental and fundamental partner in an international law enforcement alliance - the Virtual Global Taskforce (VGT). This was set up in 2004 and provides an international alliance of law enforcement agencies across Australia, the US and Canada as well as Interpol in bringing a global policing response to tackling online child abuse.