CEOP to co-ordinate national missing children hunts

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) centre is to be given the responsibility of co-ordinating national searches for missing children, the Home Office has said.

Working in partnership with police forces, non-governmental organisations and child protection agencies, a new team at CEOP will co-ordinate the response to complex cases of missing and abducted children as well as giving operational support to police forces and providing educational tools and training to both children and professionals.

The new team – which the government said would be composed of “experts dedicated to missing children issues” - is due to start work next month.

Home Office minister James Brokenshire said that the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) centre – which has been operating since 2006 – would bring considerable expertise to the issue.

“Around 230,000 missing children reports are made in the UK every year,' Mr Brokenshire explained. The risks children are exposed to are severe and the harm they suffer can be very serious so it is crucial that we can act quickly.

“CEOP's new responsibility for national missing children services means they can bring their significant child protection expertise to tackle this important issue.”

Martin Houghton-Brown, chief executive of the charity Missing People, said his organisation is delighted that CEOP will join the frontline of services to help and protect children: 'Their expertise in safeguarding vulnerable children and extensive work in education will help to ensure the safety of thousands of young people,' he said.