ESSEX’S Police and Crime Commissioner Nick Alston has hit out at the National Crime Agency after its top boss said it was “unrealistic” to expect police to investigate all cases of paedophilia.

Keith Bristow, the director general of the National Crime Agency, said it was not possible to investigate everyone who downloaded an indecent image of a child and it had to focus on suspects which posed the greatest risk to children.

He said: “'I don't think I can be more candid than say, if there are 50,000 people involved in this particularly horrible type of criminality, I don't believe that all 50,000 will end up in the criminal justice system being brought to justice. Our responsibility is to focus on the greatest risk and tackle those people.”

He continued: "But the reality is everyone who accesses an indecent image of a child, the idea that every single one of them is going to go into the criminal justice process, is not realistic. As abhorrent as even the lower risk part of this is, and it's still abhorrent and it's still horrible, particularly when seen alongside other things like acquisitive crime, we're going to have to start thinking differently about not just how we pursue these people but how we prevent people perpetrating this particular form of horribleness.”

A national debate is now taking place about the prosecution of people accessing indecent imagery or imagery of child abuse. Here in Essex, that debate is being seen partly through the perspective of Project Spade and the investigation into Martin Goldberg, the former deputy headteacher of Thorpe Hall School.

Nick Alston said it was important Essex Police continues to prioritise but also it was important that all intelligence is investigated.

He said: “As Police and Crime Commissioner, my approach is governed by several broad principles. Firstly, I believe that our police officers must have a degree of discretion, within the law, to act in a manner designed to maximise the chances of preventing a person from offending again. Secondly, Essex Police must act at all times to reduce harm, concentrating first on reducing or preventing the most serious harm to victims.

“We do not live in a time of infinite police resources, so informed, rational, choices to prioritise the prevention and investigation of the most serious harm are inevitable. This was thrown into stark light by the comments that Keith Bristow.”

Martin Goldberg was one of 35 names passed on to Essex Police in November 2013. But he was not investigated until September 9 as police had not looked into his profession.

Police have launched investigations into all names they have been passed. In 14 cases no indecent material was identified. Of the 21 "packages” where indecent material was identified, all have been subject to police action. In total 16 search warrants were obtained and executed, all of which resulted in items such as computers and data storage devices being seized and examined.

Earlier this year, two men were charged with offences relating to indecent images of children. One further case has been subject to no further action, and the other 18 cases are still being investigated.

Mr Alston added: “The independent police watchdog, the Independent Police Complaints Commission, is conducting or considering conducting a number of investigations into the handling to the Project Spade material by police forces, including the actions of both CEOP and Essex Police. It would be wrong of me to pre-empt those investigations.

“In my judgement, it is important that Essex Police continues to prioritise the investigation of the most serious harm, to protect victims and prevent further harm from occurring. It is also important that all intelligence suggesting that a person has accessed indecent imagery or imagery of child abuse is investigated. Firstly, the children in those images are themselves victims. And secondly, an investigation may reveal that the purchase of such material is part of a wider pattern of offending behaviour, as in the Goldberg case where he was creating indecent material of boys.

“We must continue to place the protection of victims and the reduction of harm at the centre of the actions of our police forces.”