Police Scotland has arrested 339 suspected paedophiles since April last year, according to a publication on the Scotland Police website. The detentions are part of continuous operations aiming to safeguard potential victims and punish criminals, the article stated.
The process of identifying online pedophiles was performed in all of Scotland’s 14 policing divisions. Moreover, Constable Malcolm Graham gave a stark warning to any criminals trying to target society’s most defenseless individuals: that they must not feel safe. This was particularly aimed at violators who use the Internet to abuse others for their own pleasure.
In the last five years, the police force has exerted significant efforts to track online paedophiles, who use the Internet for their abusive behaviours, Graham continued. And thanks to improved technologies, as well as a wide range of investigative methods, the authorities were successful in their efforts.
The Scottish Police is committed to coping with such criminals throughout the country. Paedophile acts have no place in any law-respecting society and the authorities will use every available resource to locate and punish such criminals, Graham said.
Unfortunately, the advance of the Internet has given criminals a bigger playing field. It is precisely online that children turn into the most vulnerable victims, said Specialist Crime Division Cybercrime Detective Steven Wilson. But the expert said that criminals won’t be able to hide online for long, and that online communications always leave traces. The police will investigate all evidence and bring criminals to justice, he concluded.