Met considers AI to quickly identify child sexual abuse victims

The Metropolitan Police Service is exploring the use of artificial intelligence to support the rapid grading and triage of child sexual abuse imagery.

It would enable investigators to identify and safeguard victims more quickly, while significantly reducing the need for officers and staff to manually review deeply distressing material.

Today’s announcement comes alongside a wider £10 million investment into spaces which will reduce trauma and improve outcomes for child victims.

The Met investigated over 5,400 child sexual abuse offences over the past year, requiring over 1300 children to be safeguarded for online child sexual abuse and exploitation (OCSAE) crimes, with online abuse being one of the fastest‑growing crime types.

Traditionally, officers may need to spend hours manually reviewing seized material to establish whether images or videos relate to known cases or indicate new, unidentified victims in need of urgent safeguarding. Images are then graded, across categories A, B, and C, with category A depicting the most severe abuse.

The Met is exploring how AI could assist by rapidly analysing large volumes of material to help flag content that may relate to previously unknown victims, enabling officers to prioritise cases, accelerate safeguarding action and focus human expertise where it is needed most. The force is in conversations with multiple companies about the tech and is testing how this could work across the force. This is in addition to another new technology, which allows officers to review and risk‑assess 641,000 messages in just 35 minutes.

OCSAE has increased by 25% year‑on‑year, with the Met currently managing over 12% of cases nationally. Identifying potential new victims earlier through AI could significantly shorten the time between detection and intervention, while also reducing the repeated exposure of officers and staff to traumatic content.

Any use of artificial intelligence would operate within strict legal, ethical and safeguarding frameworks, with specialist officers retaining decision‑making responsibility and human oversight central at every stage.

Alongside this, the Met is funding a £10 million programme to roll out new, victim‑dedicated Visual Recorded Interview (VRI) suites across London - designed to help children feel safe, supported and empowered when giving evidence during criminal investigations.

The new VRI suites reflect feedback from child victims, families and frontline officers and are designed to support children of all ages, including those who are disabled or neurodiverse. Attending a traditional police station can be intimidating and, for many children, traumatic, particularly where it marks their first interaction with police.

VRI recordings are taken during the early stages of an investigation and play a crucial role in informing lines of enquiry, supporting charging decisions and identifying safeguarding needs. In many cases, recordings are presented to juries during trial and evidence shows children give clearer, more accurate and more detailed accounts when they feel safe and supported.

Deputy Commissioner Matt Jukes said:

“The scale and complexity of child sexual abuse is changing, particularly online, and we must change how we respond.

“Alongside investing £10 million in child‑first interview spaces, we are exploring how artificial intelligence can be used responsibly to help identify potential new victims far more quickly than is possible through manual review alone. That speed matters when it comes to safeguarding children.

“This approach could also significantly reduce the amount of time officers and staff are exposed to the most distressing material, while ensuring that human judgement, strong oversight and victim care remain at the heart of every investigation.”

A total of 23 VRI suite locations have been selected for renovation, including stations with high demand for interviews such as Brixton, Holborn and Bethnal Green. Six sites are now complete, with Plumstead Police Station chosen as the pilot. The programme is due to be completed by the end of the year.

Design improvements include adjustable furniture to support younger children, expanded space for drawing and communication aids, improved educational and age‑appropriate resources, and calmer, more welcoming environments.

The programme forms part of the Met’s wider Children’s Strategy, which embeds a ‘child‑first’ approach across policing. Other actions already delivered include training 23,000 officers and staff in trauma‑informed communication with children, expanding specialist child exploitation teams by 72 officers, and rolling out Local Missing Hubs across London.

London’s Victims’ Commissioner, Andrea Simon, said:

"I welcome the Met Police’s investment in refurbishing their Video Recorded Interview (VRI) suites. For many victims, a VRI takes place early in the criminal justice process and safe, well-designed environments can make a real difference in building trust, during what can be a very traumatic time.

“Refurbished evidence suites that are designed around vulnerable victims and children’s needs is an important step forward. However, improving facilities is only one part of the picture. Many victims withdraw from the justice process before a charging decision is made, and to tackle this it is critical that victims are treated with care, dignity and support throughout every interaction with the police."