Police in West Yorkshire have made 21 arrests as part of a national operation to trace suspected paedophiles.
The six-month operation carried out across all 45 police forces in the UK has resulted in 660 arrests on suspicion of offences including the possession of indecent imagery and sexual assault.
The arrests in West Yorkshire have been for the possession of indecent images of children.
All of the men have been bailed pending continuing enquiries as part of the operation which has been ongoing in West Yorkshire since April.
The operation has been coordinated by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO).
Det Chief Insp Andy Williams, of West Yorkshire Police, said: “West Yorkshire Police have carried out arrests within the force area as part of this national operation and our enquiries at a local level very much remain ongoing.
“This has been a significant national operation in which all forces involved have collaborated closely and used a wide variety of investigative techniques.
“Tackling sexual offences and in particular sex offending involving children is an area which West Yorkshire Police has prioritised in recent years and allocated extra resources to. We are committed to investigating all allegations of offences of this type.”
The NCA also disclosed that some of the 660 arrested had unsupervised access to children in the course of their work. They include doctors, teachers, scout leaders, care workers and former police officers.
The operation targeted people accessing indecent images of children online.
NCA deputy director general Phil Gormley said: “Our aim was to protect children who were victims of, or might be at risk of, sexual exploitation. A child is victimised not only when they are abused and an image is taken. They are re-victimised every time that image is viewed by someone.
“Some of the people who start by accessing indecent images online go on to abuse children directly. So the operation is not only about catching people who have already offended. It is about influencing potential offenders before they cross that line.
“We want those offenders to know that the internet is not a safe, anonymous space for accessing indecent images, that they leave a digital footprint, and that law enforcement will find it.”
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