"They may not have a voice today or next week or next month – but they will be heard and we will investigate.”

Detective Inspector Vanessa Smith and the team of officers that make up Bradford District Safeguarding Unit know that victims of child sexual abuse may not all be in a position to speak out today, but at some point they will feel ready to talk about what happened to them.

“My message to offenders is that you may be getting away with it now, but it will come back.”

Hard-nosed detectives they may be – and that is crucial to the job – but, like the rest of us, they are human beings with families and feelings. Those qualities go hand-in-hand with the tough side of policing, in bringing child abusers to justice.

“You need to have a certain quality to be a child investigator,” says DI Smith. “Retaining objectivity is paramount in order to gather evidence, but you also have to remain sympathetic – you must keep that balance. We are mums, dads, uncles, aunts – we have a passion for the role.”

Viewing explicit images, for example, can be traumatic for officers and retaining composure is vital. The 12 specialist child investigators that make up the unit are highly trained.

Their hard work, leaving no stone unturned, is reaping rewards – in the past three years the unit has been successful in securing sentences totalling more than 450 years.

“That offenders have been convicted for such a total number of years is very significant and reflects the gravity in which the courts view acts towards children,” adds DI Smith. At present the team is working on 140 active investigations.

High-profile cases such as that of Jimmy Savile and Max Clifford have made an impact upon the number of victims coming forward.

“It has encouraged more victims of historic abuse to come forward, knowing that their voices will be heard, and that we are going to listen. We have received an increase in reports of historical crimes and had successful outcomes and would like to encourage others to come forward,” says DI Smith.

The recent case of Bradford-born Barry Willoughby, who was extradited from the USA after one of his victims recognised him on Facebook, resulted in a sentence of more than seven years. News of his extradition led to a second victim coming forward.

For a crime to be classed as ‘historic’ it needs to have been committed at least 28 days previously, and can date back decades. There are many reasons as to why people decide to report incidents many years after they took place.

“It is usually where the victim has become empowered through age, maturity, or through seeking counselling,” explains DI Smith. “Or they may have discovered that a similar thing happened to a friend or relative by the same perpetrator.”

The individual could feel that the perpetrator poses a current risk.

Later in life, people may have a stronger support network than previously. Family pressures can be significant in preventing children from speaking out, if the alleged perpetrator is in a position of trust and members are keen to preserve reputations. “It is only when they have self-reflected and been empowered by someone else that they may think again,” says DI Smith.

The unit works closely with partners in the Crown Prosecution Service, child social care, education and health services, sharing information. “No matter where you are in the world we will find you and bring you to justice,” says DI Smith.

Investigations are made at the victim’s own pace. “We build rapport and trust,” says DI Smith. Young children can use toys to demonstrate crimes against them. Evidence from a child or baby needs to be backed by independent corroboration.

“If it is within a family it could be that a mother says the stepfather is the perpetrator, or the child could exhibit a change in behaviour. A disclosure could have been made to a parent or teacher. You need experience and expertise to have the perseverance to get to the truth.”

Detective Chief Inspector Terry Long, Head of Safeguarding for Bradford District, says: “These excellent results reflect the hard work and determination of our officers and staff, in partnership with the CPS, to bring perpetrators of sexual offences to justice.

“We also hope they will serve as a reminder to victims, who might be too afraid to speak out, that they do not need to suffer in silence.

“Our team of specially trained officers will investigate every report, no matter how historic, sensitively and thoroughly in their efforts to secure a conviction.”