Artificial intelligence is becoming a key weapon in modern policing as child exploitation cases come under renewed scrutiny.
In a significant move to strengthen the fight against grooming gangs, police forces across England and Wales are set to be equipped with advanced artificial intelligence technology.
Thanks to a £426,000 funding injection into the Tackling Organised Exploitation (TOEX) programme, all 43 police forces will soon have access to AI tools designed to aid complex investigations involving child sexual abuse, modern slavery, and county lines activity.
Modern Tools for Complex Crimes
The TOEX programme has so far only been available in 13 forces. Yet, those who’ve used it have already clocked over 12,500 deployments. According to officials, this has translated into more than £20 million saved and over 16,000 investigation hours freed up.
The new funding, announced by the Home Office, will now make these powerful tools available nationwide.
“The sexual exploitation of children by grooming gangs is one of the most horrific crimes, and we must punish perpetrators, provide justice for victims and survivors, and protect today’s children from harm.
Baroness Casey flagged the need to upgrade police information systems to improve investigations and safeguard children at risk. Today we are investing in these critical tools,” said Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips.
Artificial intelligence will now play a central role in unearthing historic and current child exploitation cases, offering police the capability to translate foreign-language data and map links between suspects using vast digital footprints.
These digital tools can rapidly analyse complex datasets and foreign-language messages recovered from seized mobile phones, helping uncover links between perpetrators and detect patterns of organised abuse.
Operation Beaconport Underway
The tech rollout follows Baroness Casey’s call for a national review of cold cases involving grooming gangs, in a June audit that exposed serious failings.
In response, Operation Beaconport was launched, led by the National Crime Agency (NCA). The operation is now tasked with re-examining more than 1,200 previously closed cases of child sexual exploitation.
Graeme Biggar, director general of the NCA, highlighted the importance of rebuilding public trust: “We must and will ensure their voices are heard and collectively, we will restore confidence that the law enforcement response to child sexual exploitation is without fear or favour, is evidence-based and not undermined by fears of inflaming community tensions.”
Ethnicity Data Collection Mandated
The Home Secretary has also written to all police forces, urging them to begin collecting ethnicity data, as recommended by Baroness Casey.
Her audit had been scathing on this front, pointing to a “major failing over the last decade or more” in not recording the ethnicity and nationality of grooming gang offenders.
Officials, the report noted, had avoided the topic of ethnicity for fear of being branded racist. But there were, it stated, “enough convictions of Asian men to have warranted closer examination.”
National Inquiry in the Pipeline
The Government has also confirmed a national inquiry into child sexual abuse by grooming gangs is on the horizon. More details are expected to be released in the coming weeks.
With a renewed focus on victim justice, high-tech tools, and transparency in data collection, this latest move signals a more determined and data-driven approach to protecting vulnerable children and ensuring past mistakes aren’t repeated.
