Go-Pro fitted to police steel ram captures moment cops smash their way into home of suspected paedophile

WEST Midlands Police has released an astonishing new video showing officers hammering down the door of a suspected paedophile.

The battering ram used to break into the Wolverhampton home in March was fitted with a GoPro camera giving viewers a sense of what it is like to be on the frontline in the fight against sick child abusers.

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Officers arrested the man who is suspected of downloading indecent images of children and seized his computers and mobile devices for examination.

He has now been bailed while forensics specialists examine his computer equipment.

The successful raid comes after West Midlands Police bolstered Operation Safenet - its specialist team dedicated to protecting vulnerable youngsters and catching online predators.

Operation Safenet features almost 30 officers, including intelligence specialists who proactively interrogate suspicious internet activity and e-forensics experts who analyse IT equipment and recover key evidence.

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Detective Chief Inspector Dawn Miskella said that the increasing power and expertise of the specialist team means paedophiles sharing indecent images can expect a “loud knock at the door”.

She said: "We’ve expanded the team by about a third - it illustrates our commitment to identifying vulnerable children and keeping them from the clutches of online groomers.

"Safeguarding children is our number one priority. We are targeting people who view, share or download indecent images of children and people who groom children in order to make indecent images.

"Anyone who encourages child abuse by viewing or sharing paedophilic images needs to prepare themselves for a loud knock at the door by Operation Safenet officers."

The Operation Safenet team have developed intelligence gathering techniques enabling them snare tech savvy child abusers who try and mask their identities online.

DCI Miskella spoke about the different ways in which offenders try and hide their disturbing online behaviour.

She said: "Offenders are getting more sophisticated in the way they exchange paedophilic images and develop child abuse websites.

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"They will hijack existing, innocent websites and secrete images and chat facilities in hidden areas that only sinister members of the online community will be aware of.

"Offenders are sometimes very tech savvy, but we have IT experts within the team who are capable of recovering illegal material. We’re making notable arrests on a daily basis and as a result helping prevent youngsters from becoming victims."

West Midlands Police works with a range of partner agencies to protect children at risk of being groomed online.

And DCI Miskella urged parents to be proactive and play an intrusive role in their children’s online activity.

She said: "Online grooming of youngsters via chat rooms and webcams is an area we’re encountering more and more.

"You need to be absolutely certain who you’re talking to online - your son or daughter may believe they’re chatting with another teenager but, in reality, it could be someone much older with sinister intentions.

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"Parents shouldn’t feel awkward asking their children what they’re up to online and who they’re conversing with on social media. Perhaps have an agreement that they only use the internet in an overt manner, in the living room, rather than squirreled away in their bedrooms.

";And ask whether your child really needs a webcam in their bedroom? If a child is persuaded to expose themselves in front of a camera then they’ve lost control of that image or video and it could be floating around online forever."

It is a criminal offence to view or share indecent images of children, which includes anyone under the age of 18 years.

Anyone who suspects someone is accessing or sharing indecent images or children is urged to contact the Operation Safenet team at West Midlands Police on the 101 number or the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

Anyone with concerns for the well-being of a child can report those worries to West Midlands Police using the 101 number, their Local Authority Children’s Services, the NSPCC or Childline.

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