Extra Police Support To Tackle Child Abuse

Police Scotland have launched a specialist unit to support the investigation of complex child abuse and neglect across Scotland.

Chief Constable Sir Stephen House met with officers, staff and business partners at the national base of the unit in Livingston to discuss its work.

The National Child Abuse Investigation Unit (NCAIU) will contain specially trained officers located across the country. 

They are tasked with providing local teams with consistent, high quality support for robust investigations into reports of complex child abuse and neglect, including child sexual exploitation and online abuse.

Launching the unit, Chief Constable Sir Stephen House, said it is a "complex, challenging area of policing". 

He said: "We owe it to all those affected, whether now or in the past, to thoroughly investigate each and every report we receive.

“The NCAIU is about providing specialist investigative support. However, part of our success in delivering child protection is local officers working with their partners in communities throughout Scotland.

“To be clear, the abuse and neglect of children is an issue for all of our communities.

'Proactively target risks'

Mr House added: "This is unacceptable. Children and young people should be allowed to live their lives without the fear of abuse or exploitation. We will proactively target those who pose a risk to children and work with our partners to ensure that support is available for victims."

Children's charities are welcoming the move - Martin Crewe is the director of Barnardos Scotland: