WA Police Child Exploitation Squad catch more than 200 predators in one year revealing shocking online horror

Shocking police figures have exposed the scale of our State’s online child exploitation crisis, with more than 200 predators apprehended and 67 previously unknown child victims uncovered in just one year. But detectives warn those confronting numbers barely scratch the surface, as offenders increasingly use games, chatrooms and encrypted apps to target children. The new statistics, revealed to 7NEWS during rare access inside the WA Police Child Exploitation Squad, represent just a fraction of the real scale of child abuse material and online grooming in the State, according to investigators. Detective Senior Sergeant Steve Britton said most child victims in WA remained unidentified, despite the squad’s extensive work in trying to track offenders online. “Those victims there, are definitely a small percentage of what’s out there,” he said. “Absolutely.” The way these highly skilled officers catch online predators is covert and quite confronting. Inside an unsuspecting Perth office building, specialist detectives spend their shifts in online chatrooms, monitoring digital platforms and identifying adults allegedly trying to groom or exploit minors. To do this, the officers use fake profiles, posing as children aged as young as 13. Detective Senior Sergeant Britton said the stated age of the child often did nothing to deter alleged predators. “It’s made very clear the age of the person,” he said. “Time and time again we will explain that we are a 13, 14, 15-year-old. “The majority of people we deal with, unfortunately, will continue the conversation knowing they’re dealing with a child.” In an unprecedented all-access report airing on 7NEWS Monday, detectives demonstrate how quickly a seemingly casual online exchange can escalate. Investigators say groomers often begin by flattering a child, mirroring their interests or using friendly conversation to build trust — before manipulating the interaction into explicit territory. In many cases, police say offenders then attempt to lure children from chatrooms or gaming platforms onto encrypted messaging services, where they are harder to trace. “They’re anonymous, so sometimes there’ll be no phone linked to it, there’ll be no email linked to it,” Det. Sen. Sgt Britton said. “And then we have the battle of identifying who that person is.” The squad uses specialist technology and covert online methods to identify suspects before search warrants and arrests are carried out. Body-worn camera vision obtained by 7NEWS shows WA Police arresting suspects accused of offences including possessing, producing and distributing child exploitation material. It includes a horrific case in Geraldton, where detectives allege a man induced a child to engage in prostitution. Another offender posted chilling online advertisements soliciting access to children. “Obviously that sparked significant concern because we learned there are people actually out there actively doing this,” Det. Sen. Sgt Britton said. “They wanted to develop a network of people with access to children who are willing to share them and come up with plans and ideas to discuss how they would do this.” Det. Sen. Sgt Britton said offenders came from all parts of the community and did not fit a single stereotype. “We’ve arrested lawyers, teachers, accountants,” he said. “They’re West Australians. They’re people just walking around in the community.” Police and cyber-safety experts say one of the biggest risks for parents is failing to realise that many games used by primary school-aged children include chat functions. Cyber-safety expert Paul Litherland said children as young as six were using platforms and games such as Minecraft and Roblox, where they could be exposed to adult content, violent material and even scams. “They’re being exposed to such high-level content that young brains aren’t prepared for,” he said. “These networks are designed to get our kids. “They’re designed to hook them and keep them, and some of them are even designed to sneak around parents.” Experts are urging parents and carers to speak to their children about online safety, know who they are communicating with, and consider using parental control apps such as Qustodio, OurPact or Bark. But police say parents should also consider whether children in their early teens or younger, need to be communicating in online chatrooms at all. “Safety wise, they’re probably too young to be in chatrooms and talking to anonymous people on the internet,” Detective Britton said. WA Police said the message to parents is blunt: online predators are no longer confined to dark corners of the internet. You can watch Jerrie Demasi’s exclusive report Monday night on 7NEWS at 6pm.