A South Wales Federation member who won a Force award for leading the probe into former Police Constable Lewis Edwards has dedicated it to the investigation team.

 

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Bartholomew received the #TeamSWP Leadership Award on behalf of the team, who were also recognised for their work when they collected the International Digital Investigation Award in a separate event in Liverpool.

 

Andy said: “It was a bit awkward to stand there and receive the award.

 

“The people who really deserved the award were the ones who put the leg work in, the sergeants, the DCs, and the people who submitted comms work and did the digital forensics and viewed all those images.

 

 

 

 

“I am pleased that they were recognised with the International Digital Investigation Award. That was gratifying to see them receive that award.”

 

Andy said the investigation impacted the investigating officers, describing Edwards' three-day sentencing as the most intense period he had seen in a crown court.

 

Enquiries began in February 2022 when officers identified that Edwards was involved in concerning activity around the sharing of child sexual abuse material on the dark web.

 

 

Andy said: “We were straight into a critical incident. We had decisions around what we were going to do, how and when we would do it. We needed specialist staff in position, which takes time to organise. We got our resources together with the right mix of people.”

 

The warrant was executed, and Edwards was arrested.

 

Andy said: “He had a sophisticated set-up. We realised this was going beyond the sharing of images. We were in there for the best part of 30 hours downloading the system.”

 

At that stage, 50 victims were identified. An enquiry team was built, and the numbers of victims climbed to 200. It currently stands at more than 400 across the UK.

It posed huge challenges for Andy and his team.

 

“How do you go to see hundreds of victims across the UK?” he said. “You can’t do it yourself because it’s just too large. You have to work with 42 police forces and get them to do the enquiries on your behalf.

 

“Speaking to the victims, you have difficult decisions about whether to ask them to recount what’s happened to them and potentially relive the trauma.

 

“Or do you try to obtain as much evidence as possible to prosecute without that?”

 

 

The team catalogued each victim and identified those at the highest risk based on their age and the nature of the offending. They used video evidence to identify victims and confirm their identity with their parents or guardians. Victims were identified in America and Canada, which meant working with counterparts overseas.

 

In October 2023, Edwards was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court to life imprisonment, to serve a minimum of 12 years, after admitting 160 offences, which included inciting children to make indecent images online and to engage in sexual activity.

 

Andy said the investigation and sentencing ‘undoubtedly’ took its toll on the investigating officers.

 

He said: “We had officers and members of the digital forensics team looking at all the images, some of which were horrific.

 

“You see that real level of distress and trauma, and the scrutiny and pressure that comes with trying to secure justice for the families, it undoubtedly had an impact on the officers.

 

“The intensity of court as well. They spent three days with the victims during sentencing, reliving with the families and supporting them.

 

“Officers went that extra mile to make sure they were regularly updated.

 

“They were all referred for support, but I have no doubt they all felt the impact in the short to medium term.”

 

Andy and colleagues have since engaged with the social media platforms used by Edwards to abuse his victims.

 

 

Part of the work was to ensure potential victims were not still being exploited, and part of it was to help the platforms improve their security measures.

“They were receptive,” Andy said.

 

He also led an education programme aimed at parents to help them keep their children safe.

 

The #TeamSWP Award also recognised changes implemented by Andy to improve performance in the Police Online Investigation Team (POLIT).

 

Referrals to the team have grown from 15 to 20 a month to around 90 a month.

 

Andy said: “It was around culture change within POLIT.

 

“How do you manage demand when demand has gone through the roof? How do you take a different approach in a rapidly changing environment?”