BROADCAST EXCLUSIVE: Metropolitan Police outline approach to tackling child exploitation in London following 6 1/2 year sentencing.
It follows the sentencing of 35 year old Tyler Charter.
Last updated 24th May 2024
We have spoken to the Metropolitan Police, who have outlined their approach to tackling child exploitation in the capital, and are encouraging parents to start conversations with their children.
This week, This follows the sentencing of 35 year old Tyler Charter of Windsor House, Croydon, who will spend the next six and a half years behind bars after facilitating a child sex offence and possessing indecent images of children.
""The best way to help people is avoid it happening in the first place"
The investigative team dedicated significant time analysing data from Charter’s telegram account, including 4,233 images and videos of children.
An extensive investigation began by officers in June 2022 with intelligence from the National Crime Agency (NCA) showing Charter as a key suspect in grooming young children.
In an exclusive broadcast interview, Greatest Hits Radio spoke to Detective Constable Nikki Jones, who led the investigation, and Detective Inspector Peter Harvey, who runs the investigation teams in the Met's online sexual abuse and exploitation unit.
Detective Jones said "The investigation came to be from police intelligence that there was an upload, or eight uploads, of Cat A videos to the internet on the 15/07/22.
"This intelligence was directly linked to Charter being the individual that uploaded these images."
Detective Jones also described Charter as a "very dangerous individual"
Detective Inspector Peter Harvey explained how the Met are tackling child exploitation across London with a "multi-pronged" approach, and gave his advice to parents and loved ones who might be concerned.
"We have a multi=pronged approach to try and tackle this. We have strategies in place to work with partners and to educate.
"An open conversation with your child is always the most important thing."
"The best way to help people is avoid it happening in the first place, so if we can educate children and parents and families and schools to look for the signs of exploitation then we try and do that.
He also revealed what some of the signs of exploitation in for young people are - encouraging parents to "look for signs of any changes in their behaviour, whether they're withdrawn or clingy" and if "they're acting overly-sexually where they weren't before, mood outbursts."
but added that he does not think London is a 'hotspot' for child exploitation - saying he doesn't "believe there's any data that would suggest London per population is anymore at risk than anywhere else in the country"
He also added that starting a dialogue is really important.
"If you're concerned about your child and you want to know what they're doing online, the approach might be right for you to see what they're doing. The concern with blocking access is they may be then doing it somewhere else where you can't see.
"The route is always that an open conversation with your child is always the most important thing."
"If you're still concerned after those conversations you should definitely get in touch with the police and that's either through 101 or 999 if you think there's a really serious issue. There's reporting tools online as well because we have expertly trained officers who are able to give advice on that."