United against paedophile crime
Children and teenagers are living an increasing part of their lives online. And wherever they are, paedophiles are not far away. This is borne out by the figures.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) in the USA is one of fedpol’s most important non-police partners in the fight against paedophile crime. Internet platforms and social media such as Google, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and many more have a duty to report prohibited pornographic content to the non-profit US organisation. If there is a link with Switzerland, the NCMEC forwards the suspicious activity reports to fedpol.
In 2024 fedpol received 15,736 NCMEC reports. The figures have risen again compared to previous years. On the one hand, more suspicious activity reports mean that the algorithms of internet platforms and social media are becoming ever more precise and discovering more material. On the other, the amount of illegal pornographic material on the internet is undeniably increasing. For example, there are more and more pictures and videos in circulation that children and teenagers produce and post of themselves. Young people in this age group are often unaware that they may be committing a crime, nor of the possibility that they and their material will be exploited.
NCMEC reports
After receiving the reports, fedpol checks whether the content suggests any criminal conduct under Swiss law and, if necessary, carries out further enquiries. If there is evidence that a crime has been committed, fedpol reports the matter to relevant cantonal authorities. In 2023, fedpol filed 1,895 such reports. A report can contain several images and videos and is used by the cantonal police as the basis for further investigations and for deciding whether to open criminal proceedings against the perpetrators. In 2024, fedpol filed 2,038 reports.