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How Police Investigate Online Child Sexual Abuse

A public-safety explanation for parents, carers and young people — how investigators safeguard children, why preserving evidence matters, and where to get support.

🚨 Get help now

999 — emergency NHS 111 — urgent health Childline 0800 1111 Samaritans 116 123 Shout — text 85258

Report safeguarding concerns: CEOP · IWF · Report Harmful Content · NSPCC 0808 800 5000

Please do not upload, email or paste suspected child sexual abuse material to this site. Report it directly to the IWF, CEOP or police instead.

1. How police investigate online child sexual abuse

Police may use digital forensics to examine devices and accounts lawfully and sensitively to gather evidence, support victims, and identify offenders. This can include phones, computers, tablets, apps, cloud accounts, messages, images, videos, usernames, contact history and timestamps — helping investigators understand what happened, identify offenders, safeguard children, and connect cases to other reports. This can also help them understand contact between victim and offender, whether threats or coercion were used, and whether material has been shared or stored.

2. Why preserving evidence matters

Known child sexual abuse material may be identified using specialist databases and matching systems, which helps link evidence to wider investigations while reducing unnecessary exposure to harmful content. Evidence you preserve can make the difference between an investigation that progresses and one that stalls:

If a child is in immediate danger, call 999.
If the concern involves online sexual abuse, grooming or coercion, report it to CEOP (ceop.police.uk) as soon as possible.
Keep the device safe and powered if possible — avoid changing accounts, uninstalling apps, or wiping the phone or computer before advice is given.
Don't investigate it yourself — and don't confront the suspected offender.

3. What to save — and what not to do

✅ Save:

usernames, profile links, dates, times, screenshots of chats, payment requests, threats, and platform names. Screenshot once, then put the device away — don't keep viewing harmful material.

❌ Do not:

delete messages, chats, usernames, call logs, links or files before speaking to police or CEOP; forward or share suspected child sexual abuse images with anyone (including by email or messaging) — use the IWF and police reporting routes instead; or try to handle it yourself.

4. Report now

999 — immediate danger or risk to a child.
CEOP — ceop.police.uk — grooming, online sexual exploitation, coercion or suspicious contact involving a child. You do not need proof — suspicion is enough.
IWF — iwf.org.uk — suspected sexual images or videos of someone under 18 found online. Anonymous.
Young people worried that a sexual image or video of them has been shared can use Childline and IWF's Report Remove tool for support and takedown help.

5. Child victim support organisations

Childline — Free, confidential support for children and young people up to age 19, available online and by phone on 0800 1111.

NSPCC Helpline — Advice for adults worried about a child's safety, including exploitation and abuse; 0808 800 5000.

CEOP — For reporting online sexual abuse, grooming, exploitation, or coercive contact involving a child (ceop.police.uk).

Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) — For reporting suspected child sexual abuse images or videos online (iwf.org.uk).

Childline + IWF Report Remove — Support for under-18s to help remove sexual images or videos of themselves from the internet.

Victim Support — Emotional and practical support for victims of crime, whether or not the crime has been reported to police (0808 168 9111).

The Survivors Trust — Specialist support relating to rape, sexual abuse and sexual violence (thesurvivorstrust.org).

NAPAC — Support for adult survivors of childhood abuse, including those affected by past abuse (napac.org.uk, 0808 801 0331).

Missing People — Support where exploitation is linked to going missing or being at risk; 116 000 (24/7, free).

"Preserving evidence can make it easier for police and specialist investigators to identify offenders, understand the timeline, and protect other children. If something worrying has happened online, try not to delete chats, accounts, or files before getting advice, and use official reporting routes rather than sharing material yourself."

🚨 Report it — don't handle it

If something worrying has happened online, report through the official routes. Don't delete evidence, don't share material, don't investigate yourself.

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