Paedophile Unit

History

The unit was first established in the early 1960s under the name Obscene Publications and Public Morals Branch, later shortened to the Obscene Publications Branch in 1990. Despite this official title, it was widely referred to as the Obscene Publications Squad, and informally called the "porn squad" or "dirty squad." It was created as part of the Clubs and Vice Unit following the Obscene Publications Act 1959, initially targeting all forms of pornography.

However, by 1995, the internet had made enforcing restrictions on adult hardcore pornography impractical, so the unit was reorganised to concentrate exclusively on child sex offences and renamed the Paedophile and Child Pornography Unit. Responsibility for adult pornography investigations was handed over to the No. 1 Area Clubs and Vice Unit at Charing Cross Police Station. Originally belonging to the Criminal Investigation Department, the unit was moved to the uniformed branch in November 1972 after it emerged that some officers had accepted bribes from the pornography industry; several were later imprisoned for corruption.

Although staffed by uniformed officers who typically operated in plain clothes, it remained under the Serious Crime Squad of C1 Department of CID until 1990, when it became part of Territorial Operations as TO13. In 1993, it returned to CID control, allowing officers to once again use the "detective" prefix, and was placed under SO1(4), the International and Organised Crime Branch of Specialist Operations. The 1995 reorganisation saw it become part of the Organised Crime Group.

The commanding officer was a chief inspector until 1972, then a superintendent, supported by an inspector and several sergeants and constables. By 1993, the unit comprised sixteen police officers and ten civilian staff who handled administration, evidence storage, and material assessment.

Did You Know?

• The unit held a secret list of 316 Paedophile Information Exchange members, possibly seized in a police raid in the late 1970s, which was given to the BBC in 2024.
• In 1995, newsreader Julia Somerville and her partner were arrested by the unit for nude photos of her daughter in the bath, but were released without charge.