Arrests for child sex offences triple

Figures published by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre show 297 child sex offenders were arrested in 2007/08.

The centre's annual report also shows a 76 per cent rise in the number of reports of online sexual abuse it receives from child protection workers and members of the public, making a total of 5,812 reports.

The work of the organisation in the last year led to 131 children being safeguarded from abuse, and six paedophile rings being dismantled.

The centre has also extended its education programme for children and young people, Thinkuknow, and set up an academy for child protection professionals.

Jim Gamble, chief executive of the centre, said the results are encouraging, but more work is needed: "I want to see more work to convince online operators to demonstrate their commitment to child safety in a clear and unambiguous way."