For perpetrators, the COVID-19 pandemic is like a perfect storm. Lockdowns have had a major impact on both children and adults as they have spent more time online, and the result has been a dramatic increase of online child sexual abuse crime.

We always see an annual increase in reports, but this increase is bigger than expected, and I’m convinced that it is a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. I think offenders see an opportunity with distracted parents and more children online.

Sustainability starts with a moral imperative, but even more so a business imperative, and a leadership vision that is based on wanting to change the world and the company to be a force for good. This sustainability thinking must penetrate all levels of the organisation, and it must be reliably informed by the challenges we face today.

Much of the data and responses that we got from the surveyed police officers in this year’s NetClean Report, show worrying tendencies. The results indicate a considerable impact on online CSA crime and the amount of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) available online.

We have had a number of concerns during this pandemic, but we won’t know the outcome of these until sometime in the future. There is a potential increase in victimisation, both online and offline.