Key Points
- The number of referrals to the North Wales Polices Online Child Abuse Investigation Team went up by 145 per cent between 2024 and 2025.
- The North Wales Polices Online Child Abuse Investigation Team helped keep 167 children safe year.
- They also caught 84 people. Took away 356 digital devices in the past 12 months.
- The North Wales Polices Online Child Abuse Investigation Team says that people are targeting people on Snapchat, X, Telegram and Discord.
- The North Wales Polices Online Child Abuse Investigation Team is worried about this.
- There was an increase in AI-generated child sexual abuse material in 2025.
- It went up by 26,000, per cent.
- The Internet Watch Foundation found this out.
- The North Wales Polices Online Child Abuse Investigation Team is using this information.
- Detective Inspector Sofiah Valentine talked about “nudify” technology.
- This technology uses AI to make pictures into bad ones.
- The North Wales Polices Online Child Abuse Investigation Team wants parents and carers to be careful.
- They should keep their social media accounts
- They should check what they post about their children.
- They should also check what their family and friends share.
- The North Wales Polices Online Child Abuse Investigation Team has a job.
- The team has two sergeants, nine officers and two intelligence researchers.
- They see things every day.
- This is affecting their health.
- If you need to report something you can go to the North Wales Police.
- You can also go to Crimestoppers, Childlines Report Remove service.
- There are also people who can help like the Lucy Faithfull Foundation and Stop It Now.
Wales Police (Wales Times) August 15, 2026 – Referrals to North uk/police/">Wales Police’s Online Child Abuse Investigation Team (OCAIT) rose by 145 per cent between 2024 and 2025, the force has said, prompting a month-long safeguarding drive as children spend more time online during the summer holidays.
What is driving the 145% rise in online child abuse referrals?
As reported by staff at Wrexham.com, North Wales Police said the rise in referrals meant that its team is constantly having to adapt its techniques to keep up with advances in technology. OCAIT PC Amit Patel explained that young people are being targeted and exploited on social media, particularly on platforms such as Snapchat, X, Telegram and Discord. Officers are asking parents and carers to talk to children about the risks of speaking to people they have not met, and about how grooming and exploitation can begin.
The force is also asking adults to think about what they post themselves, with harmless images uploaded to social media being taken and exploited. Detective Inspector Sofiah Valentine said there has been a rise in “nudify” technology, where an innocent image has been turned into an indecent image using AI, including stripping children of clothing. North Wales Police said work by the Internet Watch Foundation found that AI-generated child sexual abuse material increased by 26,000% in 2025. Data from UNICEF, INTERPOL and ECPAT suggest that in some countries one in 25 children have had photos of them modified into indecent images using AI.
“Nationally, we are seeing severe content being created using ‘nudify’ images and AI chatbots,” said DI Valentine. “Child Sexual Abuse images created by AI are illegal and cause real-life harm.” “Innocent photos of children shared with good intentions are used by perpetrators to create indecent images.” “This is every parent’s worst nightmare and something that the vast majority of us would never wish on a child.” “For those parenting in the age of social media, the online privacy of children is a highly debated topic, but as an officer working in children protection, I’d argue this surpasses privacy and is a matter of safety.” “This is something that can also affect adults who have had their childhood photos posted. Anyone with concerns that they may be a victim of these offences are encouraged to report to police.”
How is OCAIT structured and what results has it achieved?
As reported by Wrexham.com, a specialist North Wales Police team safeguarded 167 children last year through investigations into online child sexual abuse. The Online Child Abuse Investigation Team is made up of two detective sergeants, nine police officers and two intelligence researchers. In the past 12 months the team, which covers North Wales in its entirety, has overseen 84 arrests and the seizure of 356 digital devices.
PC Amit Patel, who has worked on the team for three years, said their work has a real and positive impact on people’s lives. He said:
“I am proud that the majority of our investigations result in successful convictions, with many perpetrators given sexual harm prevention orders to prevent them from re-offending.”
“We are making real, positive changes to people’s lives by safeguarding children and taking paedophiles off the streets.”
A sexual harm prevention order is made by a court and restricts what an offender is allowed to do, including their use of the internet and their contact with children.
PC Patel described a case in which a man was found with 56,762 indecent images of children and 1,294 indecent videos. He said: “Following our investigation, he was given three and a half years in prison and a sexual harm prevention order for the rest of his life.” Officers on the team regularly work through thousands of indecent images and other distressing material. PC Nerys Jones, who has been with the unit for nearly four years, said that some cases stick with you for a long times. She said: “The job is so rewarding but also challenging given the content we are exposed to on a daily basis.” “We work to tight timeframes to get investigations to court but it’s worth it to see offenders charged which prevents them from carrying out further harm.” “Some cases stick with you. I have two that come to mind for which they both received four and a half years in jail.” “I was proud to have safeguarded children from both of those individuals.” She added: “Investigations can take a long time, and our tactics are often covert, which means it is rarely seen by the public.” “But our work has a big impact on the safety of children across the region.”
What advice are police giving to parents and carers?
“Nobody should ever feel pressured into sending nude images. Once they are out there, they can never be taken back and can be shared without consent so easily,” said PC Patel. “Having honest conversations about online safety and privacy settings could prevent potentially dangerous and risky situations.” The Internet Watch Foundation and National Crime Agency advise parents and carers to: Keep social media accounts private and use “close friends” lists when sharing photos of their children. Audit posts which show a child’s face, body or school uniform. Check what has been posted by family and friends. Be mindful of what is published by schools and clubs and any consent forms signed.
Anybody with concerns around online child sexual exploitation should report information to police, anonymously via Crimestoppers or reach out to a support agency. Anyone with concerns about online child sexual exploitation can report to police, anonymously through Crimestoppers, or to a support agency. Young people can report sexual images of themselves through Childline’s Report Remove service. Guidance for parents is available from the Lucy Faithfull Foundation and from the National Crime Agency and Internet Watch Foundation parent guide. North Wales Police said the team has a welfare support package for families of those involved in investigations, and signposts them to agencies including Lucy Faithfull and Stop It Now. Concerns about online child sexual exploitation can be reported to North Wales Police, or anonymously through Crimestoppers. Advice for parents on how to encourage online safety for children can be found here: Help your child stay safe online – Kids Online Safety.
PC Patel said the material the team handles takes a toll on officers. He said:
“We are exposed to indecent material daily, and this does have a detrimental impact on your mental health.”
“Dealing with online sex offenders can be draining but I think the reward of convicting them makes it worthwhile and is why I joined the police.”
Background to the development
The 145 per cent increase in referrals to OCAIT between 2024 and 2025 comes amid wider national trends showing rising recorded child sexual abuse offences and growing use of AI to generate abusive material. Official police data in England and Wales shows that the overall number of recorded child sexual abuse offences increased in 2024/25 to nearly 104,000, with the largest category relating to child sexual abuse images. The increase is likely due in part to new offences introduced in the Online Safety Act (2023). Police forces recorded over 14,000 charges or summons for child sexual abuse offences – the highest number on record. The Internet Watch Foundation’s finding of a 26,000 per cent rise in AI-generated child sexual abuse material in 2025 underscores how rapidly the threat landscape is evolving. North Wales Police’s August safeguarding drive reflects seasonal patterns when children typically spend more time online, increasing exposure to grooming and exploitation.
Prediction: how this development could affect families and children in North Wales
If referral volumes continue to rise at a similar pace, families and children in North Wales are likely to face heightened scrutiny from safeguarding agencies, longer investigation timelines and increased demand on support services. Parents may need to adopt more rigorous privacy practices, including auditing existing posts, tightening account settings and limiting the sharing of images that show children’s faces, bodies or school uniforms. Children could encounter more sophisticated grooming attempts on mainstream platforms, requiring earlier and more frequent conversations about online safety within households and schools. The mental health burden on OCAIT officers may also grow, potentially affecting investigation capacity unless additional resources are allocated. Over time, sustained high referral levels could lead to more sexual harm prevention orders, greater public awareness of AI-enabled abuse and stronger collaboration between police, schools and tech platforms to mitigate risk.
