By Ash Crowther – Lead CSAM Digital Forensic Victim Identification Officer, Staffordshire Police & UK CAID Victim ID Trainer
Earlier this year, I received a call from a colleague who was carrying out a triage at the scene of a live warrant. During their examination of a suspect’s computer, they uncovered disturbing material that indicated potential first-generation abuse. Time was of the essence the team knew they had to act fast to protect a child who may still have been in danger.
Among the files was a poor-quality image showing a child wearing a school uniform, with a partially visible school badge. While the image lacked GPS data or identifying metadata, the presence of the badge gave us a starting point.
Whilst I was on the phone to the team at the scene they described the school badge to me, using the School Badge Lookup feature built into S21 LASERi-X, I entered a description of the badge into the tool. Within seconds, the software returned a shortlist of matching schools including one with a direct visual match. Not only did we identify the school, we also obtained its location and contact details immediately, thanks to the data held within S21 school badge lookup.
Armed with this information, our team was able to notify the relevant authorities and begin protective actions for the child. Simultaneously, we had an area of interest to begin focusing our search for the suspect.
Further investigation uncovered a photograph of the suspect with the child. While the image itself lacked GPS coordinates, I used other built-in location features in S21 LASERi-X to narrow down the location. By examining satellite dishes, tree growth, and visual cues cross-referenced with Google Street View, I was able to pinpoint the exact street where the photo had been taken and even estimate the time it was taken.
Thanks to the advanced features built into S21 LASERi-X, and the quick-thinking of the officers involved, we were able to not only identify and safeguard a vulnerable child, but also apprehend and convict the offender. He is now serving a custodial sentence for his crimes.
The landscape of digital victim identification is changing. With tools like those developed by Semantics 21, we are no longer relying solely on human interpretation we’re leveraging AI and cutting-edge technology to work faster, smarter, and more accurately. Each case solved using these tools represents a child protected and an offender brought to justice.
This case is just one example of how modern, purpose-built solutions are revolutionising how we approach some of the most serious crimes in society.