"Child abuse is one of the worst crimes to affect today's society and we in the UK must break away from thinking that we can tackle this issue within our own borders," said Jim Gamble, Deputy Director General of the UK's National Crime Squad and chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce (VGTF).
The web site has been pioneered by the NCS in association with UK industry leaders and law enforcement counterparts in Australia, Canada, the US, and Interpol.
It is intended to act as a gateway to information on how to use the internet safely, and will link to a range of support agencies that can advise and support victims of abuse. It will also facilitate the ability of internet users to report on-line child abuse in a secure and confidential environment.
The VGTF was created in 2003 as a direct response to lessons learned from investigations into on-line child abuse around the world. It is an international alliance of law enforcement agencies comprising the NCS, Australia's High Tech Crime Centre, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the US Department of Homeland Security and Interpol.
Its mission is to make the internet a safer place, to identify, locate and help children at risk, and to hold perpetrators appropriately to account.
"Internet-users access a worldwide service and we must tackle abuse from a worldwide perspective," said Gamble. "That is why strategic partnerships with partners across the globe are so vital to the success of this initiative. Police across the world must work as one on this".
"Our message is simple. Those who use the internet to search for and share images of child abuse, or to approach children in chat rooms to 'groom' them for sexual abuse, must be aware that the internet is not an anonymous place," he added.
Key industry leaders – including Microsoft/MSN, AOL(UK), Vodafone, and BT – will also promote the site on their launch pages, as well continuing their work with international law enforcement on this and other crime reduction initiatives.