A specialist North Wales Police team tackling online child abuse has achieved a positive outcome rate twice the national average, new figures show.

The force’s Online Child Abuse Investigation Team (OCAIT) recorded a 60% positive outcome rate for investigations involving the sexual exploitation of children during 2025/26.

That compares with a national average of around 30%.

A positive outcome means action has been taken following an arrest. This can include securing a charge, a summons to court, a postal requisition, a caution or a community or restorative resolution.

The team also refers individuals to support and education programmes aimed at preventing further offending.

Detective Inspector Sofiah Valentine said officers remained committed to tackling online child abuse.

“We continue our unwavering commitment to make North Wales the safest place in the UK by stopping perpetrators of online child abuse.

“The recent figures demonstrate the great work being done to bring perpetrators of online child abuse to justice and protect children from harm.”

However, police are warning parents and carers about the growing threat posed by artificial intelligence.

The Internet Watch Foundation has reported a 26,000% increase in AI-generated child sexual abuse material during 2025.

Detective Inspector Valentine said police were increasingly seeing AI-generated indecent images created using innocent photographs posted online.

Her warning comes as children return to school.

“My plea to parents and carers as children go back to school is to think carefully about who can see what you are posting on social media, and what those photos tell the world about your children.

“A photo could tell a perpetrator lots of personal information about a child, such as where they go to school, how old they are and even where they live.

“They could take a family photo and use AI tools to create child abuse imagery.”

Police say there are simple steps parents and carers can take to reduce the risk of children's images being misused.

They recommend keeping social media accounts private and using restricted sharing lists when posting pictures of children.

Parents are also being urged to review existing posts showing a child's face, body or school uniform and consider whether they are still comfortable with the images being publicly available.

They should also check what photographs have been posted by relatives and friends, while being mindful of images published by schools, clubs and other organisations.

Anyone with concerns about online child sexual exploitation can report information to police or anonymously through Crimestoppers.

Parents can also find online safety advice from the Lucy Faithfull Foundation.

Young people can confidentially report sexual images of themselves online through Childline's Report Remove service.

Guidance on AI-generated child sexual abuse imagery is also available from the Internet Watch Foundation.