A TOTAL of 47 children were identified and protected from further online abuse between March and December, police have confirmed.

Lancashire Police’s online child abuse investigation team said the victims are from as far a field as the USA and that they have been referred to agencies

The online child abuse investigation team of 18 specialist police staff and officers, is dedicated to safeguarding children and investigating suspects of online child sexual abuse.

Once a child is identified as being a victim or potential victim of sexual abuse, officers will safeguard them and pass their findings and details of their abusers on to child protection teams in Lancashire or other UK forces. On occasion that has mean contacting authorities in other countries via the National Crime Agency and Interpol.

Detective Superintendent Ian Whitehead said: “Lancashire Constabulary continually strives to improve the way in which it works with victims of child sexual abuse and tries to bring offenders to justice.

“We are committed to preventing child sexual abuse, helping victims and bringing offenders to justice. Sexual abuse is a crime that can affect any child, anytime, anywhere - regardless of their social or ethnic background.

“There are dedicated teams of people working right across Lancashire from many different organisations to help victims escape the cycle of abuse.

“The teams share relevant information and coordinate the most appropriate response for each case which helps to identify and disrupt offenders and identify those who pose the greatest risk. It also means that a whole range of support for children, their families and carers can be put in place where needed.

“The teams work closely with young people who are being exploited to firstly get them to recognise that they have been, or are being, exploited and to find ways of helping them to break free from the position they find themselves coerced into.

“Education packages are also delivered in many schools across the county, highlighting dangers, warning signs and raising awareness amongst teenagers about sexual exploitation. Similar presentations are delivered to parents and many referrals have come as a direct result of this work.”

An NSPCC spokesperson said: “Online grooming has been a significant and growing problem for some time, with perpetrators using increasingly sophisticated methods and technologies to target their victims.”

“We know that this can prove problematic in both the detection and prosecution of groomers, so we have launched our #WildWestWeb campaign calling for the Government to create a new law to make social networks safer for children.

“It is also really important to have regular conversations about what your child is doing on the web, because we know that one of the best ways to keep children safe online is to make sure they’re aware of the risks and how to minimise them.”