ABSTRACT
This article explores the difficulties facing the police in England and Wales in their attempts to combat the trade in abusive images of children on the Internet. It discusses the problems that hamper investigations into computer-mediated child pornography in the context of the history and composition of the police service, its decentralised and 'local' character, its lack of adequate government funding, its internal culture which many regard as resistant to technological innovation, and the consequent problems associated with officer training and expertise. The article will argue that the police's deficiencies in these areas are further frustrated by their difficulty in securing convictions when the few offenders who are prosecuted face trial.
