Police in Scotland have identified more than 200 men who were preying on children online and grooming them for sexual activity, it was revealed yesterday.

In the operation by Central Scotland Police, which so far has led to 15 arrests with other prosecutions pending, detectives uncovered thousands of explicit exchanges between the men and their young victims on social networking sites.

Officers identified 150 children and teenagers who had fallen victim to the predators online. In some cases they had met up and had sexual relations with their online groomer.

The force said 215 men had been caught. They had used a combination of e-mail, instant messaging and chat applications to engage with unsuspecting youngsters and send explicit messages and images.

Police warned parents and carers to be vigilant about the potential dangers to their children. Chief Superintendent Gordon Mackenzie, from Central Scotland Police, said: “What we have seen is young, unsuspecting children and teenagers using the internet in a variety of ways, through computers, phones or other platforms including games consoles with web connectivity, and being targeted by men who are effectively grooming and conditioning them for sexual purposes.

“The challenge now is to make sure children and teenagers using the internet are safe. There is no doubt the web has many attractions ... however, it also carries risks and criminals who seek to exploit young people will use it to their own means.

“Individuals who seek to use the internet to target young people have to know that the police and authorities are becoming ever-more sophisticated in stopping this kind of activity, tracing their electronic footsteps and delivering justice where offences take place.” The men caught in the operation were based in the UK and abroad. The 15 arrested have been charged with offences such as grooming and sexual assault.

Officers on Operation Defender were assisted by agencies such as Interpol and the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop). Mr Mackenzie said: “We have taken steps which have resulted in a number of individuals now facing prosecution. Our action has also resulted in approximately 150 children who were both victims and potential victims being removed from harm’s way.

“A number of youngsters who were at immediate risk were identified through our inquiries and swift intervention took place,” he said.

The operation stemmed from work carried out by the force into young people in Forth Valley who were posting sexual content, displaying and organising violence and encouraging anti-social behaviour.

A series of follow-up inquiries led to the examination of computers as part of Operation Defender and revealed the worrying scale of online, instant engagement between adult males and children and teenagers.

More than 4,000 chat logs were examined by detectives, leading to the identification of more than 2,000 e-mail addresses used by men for sexual purposes and contact with children and teens. Inquiries into these addresses led to the identification of predators exchanging explicit material, including still images and activity via web cams.

Details of the operation emerged as the social networking sites Facebook and MySpace were called upon to emulate their competitor, Bebo, and adopt a “panic button” linked to Ceop for children who fear they may be at risk.

The button enables users to report online abuse, bullying and illegal activity.

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