Ministers have reacted with "surprise" to claims that they are failing to fund the fight against internet paedophiles.

Senior police officers and leading children's charities warned on Tuesday that cash shortages are hampering the fight against online abuse.

The Association of Chief Police Officers said that equipping forces forces to deal with the law enforcement challenges of the internet was a "real challenge".

"When we consider the huge licence fees charged for 3G technology, for example, alongside the additional investment in police capability, there is a massive difference," said West Midlands assistant chief constable Stuart Hyde.

"We have called for additional investment in both technology and resources to address child protection online.

"The internet has created new challenges and new business for the police, we need new investment to address it and protect our children."

Phone line

Child welfare campaigners also urged the creation of a "virtual 999" service and said there should be a new offence of offering advice on how to abuse children.

NCH internet adviser John Carr said the victims of such crimes were "often not being found and helped".

"As the general election approaches, the children's charities are demanding that policing of the internet is made a significantly bigger priority," he said.

"Vital changes in the law must also be made to make cyberspace as safe as possible for our children."

He added that around £10 million a year extra is needed to fund child porn investigations.

'Priority'

Responding to the comments, Home Office minister Paul Goggins said that a meeting last week of the child internet protection taskforce had been "very constructive and everyone seemed content with the progress we are making".

"This government could not have worked more closely with children's charities and the police over the last four years to target internet crime against children and update the law to reflect the new types of child internet abuse," he added.

The minister added that child protection "is a priority for the government, just as it is for police officers the length and breadth of the country".

"The police service is not short of money; police funding has increased by over 30 per cent in the last three years and we have a record number of police officers in England and Wales with 10,000 more in the last two years alone," he added.

But Conservative home affairs spokesman Andrew Mitchell said police forces were "too tied up in Home Office paperwork to deal effectively with this crime".