UNITED KINGDOM
Telegraph
By David Barrett, Home Affairs Correspondent 05 Dec 2014
Thousands of paedophiles who view child sex images online should be treated as patients rather than criminals, Britain’s most senior child protection police chief has said.
At least half of people viewing indecent images of children – up to 25,000 people according to police estimates – do not pose a physical risk to children, said Simon Bailey, the child protection and abuse lead for the Association of Chief Police Officers’ (Acpo).
Mr Bailey, the chief constable of Norfolk Police, told the Guardian his approach was based on “realism”, but admitted it could be “a very unpalatable response from a senior police officer”.
Paedophiles classed as “non-contact abusers” who view images but are unlikely ever to harm a child in the real world should face an “alternative solution” involving medical treatment rather than prosecution, he suggested.
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