Women police officers make history as they join the Yard's elite paedophile hunters

 
We blend in where men can't...
posing as mums to catch the perverts who prey on our kids

By Lucy Panton

WOMEN have marched into the front line of the war against paedophiles for the first time.

Three female detectives made history when they were hand-picked to join Scotland Yard's elite—and vastly expanded— child protection unit.

Lara, Jo and Vicky—we're not revealing their surnames because they work undercover—are the first full-time female detectives solely devoted to catching the perverts who prey on our children.

And they find that being women can be an advantage—they can, for example, pose as mums while watching suspects.

"We bring different skills to the team," said Vicky, 35. "Surveillance is a key part of our job and we're able to blend into some situations where a man would really stand out.

"And people's perception of a woman is that she's more understanding. I've experienced women opening up to me more because they can identify with another female better than a male."

Until now women involved in catching such sex offenders worked as child protection officers.

Toughest

Detective Chief Superintendent Peter Spindler, head of the supersquad, said: "In the past the paedophile unit wasn't a job which attracted women.

"It's one of the toughest jobs in the Metropolitan Police and covers some of the most unpleasant topics in policing."

The unit has been revamped, with the number of staff virtually doubling from 12 to 22—and the Yard now has a total of 470 officers working in all areas of child protection.

Mr Spindler (pictured above right) hit back at critics who were outraged when he broke up the old paedophile squad.

Instead of clearing out all the experienced detectives he has kept four and splashed out £10,000 for advanced training for recruits.

He added: "We now have the biggest child protection team in the world. No one beats us when it comes to the number of officers we've dedicated to child safety.

"I've brought a mix of skills into the team. I'm trying to bring the paedophile squad fully into the 21st century—and I'm very proud to include female detectives."

And Lara, 37, had a warning for the perverts.

"Just because we're women doesn't mean we're going to give anyone any slack," she said. "We're 100 per cent committed to this job."

Jo, 31, added: "I suspect some paedophiles think they might get an easy time because we're women, but they soon realise that's not the case."

Vicky explained: "Part of the reason we took the job was for the pro-active side of the work. In basic terms, that means kicking down doors and arresting people."

The women—who are all unmarried—have been with the squad for three weeks but their impact was instant.

Vicky said: "I've already been out and arrested a few paedophiles. Knowing you're taking someone off the street who has interfered with a child does give you a real feeling of satisfaction.

"Many distribute indecent pictures. Most of them are in denial—they claim it was accidental but you can't download these images accidentally.

"They never say anything in interview, which can be frustrating, but it's up to us to gather the evidence."

Vicky is sickened by the vile photographs the unit seizes during raids.

"I'd never come across anything like it before, you just don't get exposed to it," she said. "I remember thinking, ‘I can't believe people would do that'.

"It's a bit like seeing a dead body for the first time—it's shocking but you have to get on and deal with it. Knowing that a child has been exposed to abuse just makes you want to try that extra bit."

After 11 years of police work Lara feels she has at last found real job satisfaction.

"This is the most rewarding line of work I've ever done," she said. "It was about the time of the Sarah Payne murder that I really felt I wanted to get involved in child protection.

"I've worked in drugs squads, burglary squads and CID offices but this is the first time I feel I'm really making a difference. I feel so passionately about this job."

But Lara admits that harrowing duties such as interviewing child victims do affect her.

"You can be watching television and you see a child in what most people would view as a perfectly innocent situation, perhaps hugging someone, but you view it differently," she added.

"It's then that images of cases you've been dealing with flash into your head and you can't stop yourself looking for the bad in people.

"Both the men and the women on the squad get affected but you have to put it to the back of your mind.

Monsters

"I've looked a number of paedophiles straight in the eye but there's nothing there, no reaction at all."

Lara sometimes feels her innocence has been taken away—and she has to struggle not to be too protective towards her nieces and nephews.

"I have to live with the knowledge of what these monsters do and I won't tell my sisters because I don't want them to have to know what I know," she said.

Jo joined the paedophile squad after spending four years with the Met's clubs and vice unit.

She said: "I dealt with a lot of rapes and sexual assaults and in some ways the jobs are similar. But the big difference is the victims.

"None of us has children—but we have to be guardians to everyone's children."