Gamble, who has been chief executive of the centre since its inception in 2006 quit his position over fears surrounding the government proposal to merge Ceop into a new UK-wide National Crime Agency that will be replacing the Serious and Organised Crime Agency.
Head of crime at the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) chief constable Keith Bristow said Ceop should operate as a stand-alone agency.
"Jim Gamble has been a hugely committed advocate for the protection of children for many years," he said. "Within the police service, he has been a constant champion for improvements in approaches to the prevention and investigation of child abuse. Acpo continues in firm support of Ceop operating as a stand-alone agency. If government choose not to support this option, then Acpo would seek to be consulted on whatever new governance arrangements are put in place."
NSPCC chief executive Andrew Flanagan said Gamble’s resignation was a blow and said that if Ceop’s remit is to be absorbed into a larger agency a strong leadership of the organisation is needed.
"Jim Gamble has done a tremendous job and we regret that he has decided to resign," Flanagan said. "He has ensured that the child is at the centre of all that they do and that the child’s voice is heard at the highest levels of policing in the UK.
"If the government’s proposals to include Ceop within the National Crime Agency go ahead, it is even more important that Ceop has strong leadership so it can maintain a prominent and successful role in protecting children from online predators who seek to groom and abuse them."
Home Secretary Teresa May defended the proposals to bring Ceop’s work into a National Crime Agency, saying: "The government recognises the importance of child protection and wants to build upon the work of Ceop, but does not necessarily feel this is best done by creating a new quango."
But Claude Knights, director of charity Kidscape, said while she agrees there is scope to reduce the number of quangos, Ceop holds a unique and important position in the field of child protection.
"We must recognise the work of Jim Gamble and the international reputation that has been achieved by such a small team and we cannot afford to lose any expertise in this field," she said. "This is very specialised work and if you take a very sleek organisation that is well oiled and amalgamate that into a large amorphous agency I do not know if this is in the best interests of children.
"We are not talking about creating another quango because Ceop has already proved its worth and changing it would dismantle its unique character and independence."
