Targets missed investigating suspected paedophiles
29 January 2019, 09:26 | Updated: 29 January 2019, 09:27
In two thirds of cases, Essex Police is missing targets to go through devices belonging to suspected paedophiles.
The figures come from a freedom of information request by Heart.
But the NSPCC have told us that the scale of the problem is so big and complex that they don't believe police can be blamed for any delays.
"It shouldn't be left until offences have been committed and then police have to investigate before action is taken," the charity's Associate Head of Child Safety Online, Andy Burrows, told Heart.
"Industry - the tech platforms - could be doing far more to keep children safe in the first place and therefore stopping abuse before it takes place."
Child abuse image offences went up by 35 per cent in Essex between 2016 and 2017.
New figures show more than 100,000 child abuse images were taken down from the internet last year.
