Over 100 Brits believed to be in international paedophile ring that streamed live child abuse from Philippines Paedophile ring which streamed abuse from Philippines caught by police 17 Britons so far arrested as part of the operation code-named Endeavour Three other investigations taking place with 139 Britons as suspects 15 victims aged six-15 have been rescued as part of investigation Some of the victims were being sold online by their own relatives A paedophile ring which streamed live child abuse from the Philippines has been shut-down after British police joined forces with Australian and US investigators. Police have said 17 Britons have so far been arrested as part of Operation Endeavour, which has spanned 12 countries and has seen involvement from police in the UK, Australia and the US. The inquiry was prompted when Northamptonshire Police visited registered sex offender Timothy Ford and began tracking the international abuse network from obscene videos they found on his computer. Three other investigations are taking place into live streaming of child sex abuse, with 139 Britons among the 733 suspects. The inquiry was prompted when Northamptonshire Police visited registered sex offender Timothy Ford (left). Another member of the paedophile network, Thomas Owen (right), who had nearly four million images of child abuse when he was arrested, was jailed for seven years in July last year British police have joined forces with Australian and US investigators to smash a paedophile ring which streamed live child abuse from the Philippines (file picture) The National Crime Agency has said it is investigating what it calls 'a significant and emerging threat', particularly in developing countries. Andy Baker, from the NCA, said: 'This investigation has identified some extremely dangerous child sexual offenders who believed paying for children to be abused to order was something they could get away with. Being thousands of miles away makes no difference to their guilt. In my mind they are just as responsible for the abuse of these children as the contact abusers overseas. Protecting the victims of abuse is our priority and that means attacking every link in the chain, from dismantling the organised groups who are motivated by profit through to targeting their customers. So far 15 children aged six to 15 have been rescued after being identified as victims. In some cases their own relatives sold them for abuse. In the UK five of the 17 suspects arrested have been convicted, nine investigations are ongoing, one will face no further action and two are dead. He was paying to view live sex abuse and planned to move to the Philippines to open an internet cafe, but instead was jailed for eight-and-a-half years in March last year. Another member of the paedophile network, Thomas Owen, who had nearly four million images of child abuse when he was arrested, was jailed for seven years in July last year. Thanks to this joint operation, children have been rescued from a living nightmare James Dinkins, from the US Department of Homeland Security The use of web cams in the developing world to stream live abuse is a significant and emerging threat, claim the NCA. Hannah Bickers, an NCA spokesperson said: 'I think this is an emerging threat. It's the first investigation of live streaming of extreme abuse, and it's only scratching the surface. We hope there will be more arrests in the future. There's a number of people who have been identified. 'There's an element of extreme poverty and areas where people are more vulnerable to abuse. It appears to be going both ways - families who are poor sometimes exploit their own children. This is a world wide issue. Extreme poverty, the increasing availability of high-speed internet and the existence of a vast and comparatively wealthy overseas customer base has led to organised crime groups exploiting children for financial gain. James Dinkins from the US Department of Homeland Security said: 'Thanks to this joint operation, children have been rescued from a living nightmare. The group responsible for these heinous crimes mistakenly believed that they could use technology to avoid detection, but they were wrong. We will continue to work tirelessly with our international law enforcement partners across jurisdictions and national boundaries to protect children anywhere in the world and bring criminals to justice regardless of where they live. Tim Morris, of the Australian Federal Police, added: 'Every day AFP officers work with state and international counterparts to combat child sexual exploitation and to bring offenders to justice. The use of online media to drive these types of crimes is a sinister development. To target the most vulnerable members of the community in this way cannot be tolerated in any society. 'It's abhorrent that these crimes occur and it is our duty as police and the wider community to ensure that every possible measure is taken to identify and assist the victims and to identify and take action against the perpetrators'