The complex and sensitive work of Kent Police officers who tackle online child sex offences is the focus of a ground-breaking Channel 4 documentary that first aired last night (February 8).
Broadcasting over the next three weeks, Undercover Police: Hunting Paedophiles is the culmination of three years’ work where producers and camera crews embedded with Kent Police’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team and officers from the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit.
The three-part series continues on February 15 and 22 at 9pm. Episode one can be seen on catch up (link below). It features a number of investigations that spread across the country, from their inception through to their conclusion at court.
Among them is Margate man Keiran Swan who wrote in the Nayland public toilets in Margate that he had pornographic photos of “his four year old daughter” alongside his email address.
Detectives tracked down his email and, from that, his phone number. An undercover police officer also communicated with him online. The mobile was a burner phone but the team tracked down where it was being topped up. Investigations eventually enabled an arrest.
In police interviews the 36-year-old said he didn’t want to share pictures but wanted to ‘talk to someone else’ about the motivation for his feeling. He admitted a sexual interest in girls as young as five which he said he had had “forever.” He does not have a four-year-old daughter.
Swain, who said he knew what he was doing ‘wasn’t normal,’ is a former DJ and in 2013 released an EP with South London label Hear Other Sounds.
He was taken before the courts and pleaded guilty to making, possessing and distributing indecent images of children. Images on his devices were in categories A,B and C. Category A is the most severe. He received a two-year community order and was put on the sex offenders’ register for five years.
The documentary is the first time filming of undercover operatives in this world of policing has taken place.
Chief Constable of Kent Police Alan Pughsley, who is also the National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Undercover Policing, said: “First and foremost this documentary should serve as a warning to parents and guardians about the dangers to children and vulnerable people using chat forums and other online services unsupervised.
“If, as a result of this important and impressive piece of filmmaking, just one potential victim is safeguarded then it has been a success.
“But these programmes also shine a light on an extremely complex and sensitive area of policing and I’m very proud of my officers who are featured – they are often exposed to some unimaginable things and the carry out their work with a great sense of purpose and courage.”
Filming for the project began in March 2018 and saw camera crews spend time shadowing officers as they carried out their enquiries, made arrests and examined evidence.
Cases featured in the series include individuals who try and arrange to meet underage victims and those who share indecent images of children.
Alisa Pomeroy, Senior Commissioning Editor for Factual, said: “The extraordinary level of access given to us by Kent Police provides a new appreciation of the complex and vital work being done by undercover detectives as they go about searching for paedophiles operating online.
“With millions of children stuck at home and chatting online, it is our hope that this series is a powerful reminder of the very real dangers of online grooming by an increasing number of would-be sexual abusers.”
