The number of Britons with a sexual interest in children may be seven times higher than previously thought, the head of the National Crime Agency has said.
The revelation came after investigators scoured through sites for paedophiles on the dark web, finding an estimated 144,000 accounts linked to British people.
ÊEstimates previously had put the number of Britons with a sexual interest in children at around 20,000; one unpublished estimate, which law enforcement did not seek to rely on, put the number at 40,000 adults.
Some dark web sites require people to prove they have raped a child before they are allowed to enter.
Every month measures were taken to make sure 400 children were safe from paedophiles, and 500 people were arrested in connection with a sexual interest in children.
Police had not been able to investigate all of the suspects even when the numbers were believed to be much lower, and did not have the resources to analyse all the accounts discovered on the dark web.
Preventative programmes warning children of the dangers were now aimed at four- to seven-year-olds whose parents gave them tablet computers, whereas previously they were aimed at those eight years and over.
The technology already exists to design out a lot of the preventable offending. The industry must block child abuse images upon detection, and do more to prevent online grooming. It must work with us to stop live streaming of child abuse. It must do more to stop its platforms being used to advertise services, whether that be of people smugglers or to facilitate sexual exploitation.