Perverts: keep out

HOW to police paedophiles using the internet to snare their young victims is a conundrum which has faced successive Home Secretaries.

The current incumbent, John Reid, has announced tough new measures to tighten the net by forcing internet paedophiles to register all their online nicknames and email addresses with the authorities as part of a new crackdown.

If he gets his way, Dr Reid would bring in new laws to force child sex perverts to disclose their online details as part of a widening of the Sex Offenders' Register.

He has also ordered work to be carried out on the feasibility of an online alarm system which would notify police every time a convicted paedophile used registered details to log on to an internet chatroom, or any other site which could be used to groom victims.

Failure to divulge all email addresses and online aliases could lead to a maximum jail term of five years as a breach of Sex Offenders' Register conditions.

But Dr Reid's suggestions are dismissed by child internet safety experts such as Bill Jenkins.

Mr Jenkins is a founding director of Securus Software Limited, which helps schools to identify internet misuse immediately by fitting software to monitor PCs at 800 schools across the country, including Filey School in North Yorkshire.

Mr Jenkins described Dr Reid's plans as "complete nonsense". He said: "Under these new methods, all a paedophile would have to do is not use their home computer for their activities but go down to their local library set up a Google email address. The only way to stamp out internet paedophilia is to monitor computers at source."

Whether a pupil is working online or offline, Securus provides evidence for teachers with screen shots captured each time a violation occurs, saved with details of the user, workstation, time and nature of the incident.

The system is designed to protect pupils from internet predators and detect inappropriate conduct, by monitoring language used in emails.

Mr Jenkin's pointed to the case of Alan Hedgecock, David Beavan and Robert Mayers, three paedophiles jailed this week for plotting over the internet to rape two young sisters in a "more brutal" version of the Soham murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.

Mr Jenkins said: "These are clever people, in this case the three men had never met and had identified the children they wanted to target."

Yesterday was European Safer Internet Day which this year had the theme of Crossing Borders with a drive to increase awareness around online safety.

Jim Gamble, CEO at the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, said: "While there is no real way of knowing who you are speaking to on the internet, one in 12 young people still go on to meet someone in the real world they initially engaged with online. This trust leaves them vulnerable to predators and open to exploitation."

The NSPCC is encouraging parents to talk with their children about the possible dangers online.

Tracy Beresford, NSPCC children services manager for There4me.com, an online information and support service for 12 to 16-year-olds, said: "Once contact is made in a chat room, it can escalate very quickly to a mobile phone, text messaging, and eventually face to face contact - and this is where the danger lies."

What Dr Reid has to say...

HOME SECRETARY Dr John Reid believes we need to offer more protection to children and young people.

In a statement yesterday, Dr Reid said: "We already have probably the toughest regime in Europe for identifying sex offenders, keeping them on a register and protecting our children on the internet.

"But although we are strong, we have to keep ahead of the game and I want to bring in stronger, broader powers to protect our children."

Under present rules, sex offenders must list their name and address on the Sex Offenders' Register for a period of years after conviction or even for the rest of their lives. In the latest proposals, the offenders' online identities would be treated in exactly the same way as their real name.

A Home Office spokesman said: "The Home Secretary also wants to look at whether it is technologically feasible to set up a system where if someone enters a chatroom with an identity that was already listed on the register, it would ping' an alert on the relevant people's computers, enabling them to take appropriate action."

The proposal to force disclosure of email accounts and aliases would require an Act of Parliament.

The police response...

NORTH Yorkshire Police spokesman Tony Lidgate said: "The Home Office is responding to a need to track those people who use the internet to target vulnerable people, which is an aim we support fully "Reported incidents of individuals using the internet to target vulnerable people of all types are increasing and we would welcome closer monitoring of the medium.

"The issue, though, is broader than that of children and known paedophiles; children should not merely be on their guard against Registered Sex Offenders - they should take sensible precautions when dealing on the internet with anyone they do not know.

"Similarly, a predator could use the internet to groom a vulnerable woman for a sexual assault. As well as the authorities being able to track such a predator, it is extremely important that all women should have the information and the advice to enable them to rebut such a person.

"Anything that enables the police to identify internet sexual offenders - registered or unregistered - is welcome.

"This force deals rigorously with all reports of sexual offences, and intelligence and information are the lifeblood of such investigations.

"However, the key point is that this is not just a police matter. We all have a part to play in protecting children and other vulnerable people, whether we are police officers, parents, carers, or internet providers."

I really can't see these measures working"

NICK Seaton, chairman of York-based parent lobbying group the Campaign for Real Education, remains to be convinced about the measures suggested by the Home Secretary.

He said: "I really can't see these new measurers working. It's so easy for anyone to set up an email account these days. This would just seem like another pointless bureaucratic exercise that's not going to go a lot of good to calm parents' fears.

"Internet paedophiles are a big worry for most parents, knowing who their children are talking to online. I think the most they can do is employ filtering mechanisms and supervise youngsters.

"Another thing is that the parents familiarise themselves with the software to the level their children are, because quite often the problem is the youngsters know more about computers than their parents."

Tips for children to help stamp out internet abuse

* Don't give out personal details online. This includes Messenger id, email addresses, mobile numbers and pictures.

* Remember that pictures or videos published online can be changed or shared.

* Some people lie online so it's better to keep online mates online. Never meet up with strangers without taking a trusted adult.

* It's never too late to tell someone if something makes you feel uncomfortable.

* There are people who can help. Report online child sex abuse at www.thinkuknow.co.uk

Child internet fact file

* 75 per cent of children and young people aged between nine and 19 have internet access at home.

* According to the OfCom Communications Market Report 2006, 70 per cent of young people aged between 16 and 24 are using new online social networking sites to make friends, share information and have fun.

* One in 12 children have met someone offline who they initially engaged with online.

* 31 per cent of young people have received unwanted sexual comment online or by text message, although only seven per cent of parents are aware of this face.

* More than 2000 reports have been received by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre since its launch in April 2006.

* Approximately 50 per cent of these reports relate to online grooming through social networking sites.