Stuart Tendler, Crime Correspondent, reports on a new move to spot paedophiles on the internet.

What is the initiative?

The National Crime Squad announced today that it is working with the FBI, the Canadian Mounties and the Australian Federal Police to set up what they call "patrols" on the internet.

Officers will actively monitor chat rooms used by children where they think paedophiles are likely to be.

A logo will come up in the corner of the screen to show that the police are present - the National Crime Squad quite liked the idea of a flashing blue light - and they may even join in the conversation.

Why are they doing this?

There have been covert operations before. But now, by being open and obvious, they hope to scare paedophiles off and reassure parents.

The aim is to spot paedophiles who are attempting to groom children. One goal is to prevent meetings being arranged between paedophiles and the children they are targeting.

How are they doing it?

By joining all the forces together, they can cover a lot of time zones and offer a 24/7 operation.

They did not say, however, how many officers they would be dedicating to the task. Nor did they say when it could be up and running.

The National Crime Squad has its own officers but it is also working with Scotland Yard, Greater Manchester Police and the West Midlands Police.