Police should be allowed to consider "alternatives" to prison sentences for "low risk" offenders, according to the chief constable overseeing historical child sexual abuse investigations.
Simon Bailey told The Times the system is dealing with "an unprecedented volume" of allegations regarding ongoing and historic abuse and has reached "saturation point".
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According to the National Association for People Abused in Childhood, there are at least 11 million adult survivors of child sexual abuse in the UK, while the NSPCC reports that more than 47,000 sexual offences against children were recorded in the UK last year.
"How can the police service be expected to cope with all that if, in the margins, we are still having to deal with what I would describe as very, very low-risk offenders?" Bailey said. "We have to look at alternatives."
Bailey acknowledged that the idea of letting convicted paedophiles walk free was repugnant to many, but said it would free up officers and resources to catch those who pose a physical threat to children.
He added that in order to prioritise the most serious cases, crimes such as viewing low-level indecent images of children, could be dealt with differently. Instead of facing prison time, offenders assessed as extremely unlikely to commit a crime against children could be ordered to take part in counselling and rehabilitation.
They would still be monitored by police and banned from having contact with children, he said.
Even so, the suggestion is likely to prove controversial. An interview with Bailey on BBC Radio 4 this morning proved a firestorm on social media, with listeners branding the plan dangerous and even calling for his resignation.
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