Well, technically, even investigating officers and forensic examiners are in breach of the law when examining child pornography images during investigations. The law definitely does need some work to give those people the correct protection..
But what is illustrated is the poor state of affairs in this country. The old National Hitech Crime Unit (NHTCU) has gone, folded into SOCA (Serious and Organised Crime Agency). SOCA is meant, as a far s I can discern, to act like a British FBI in many ways but tihs doesn't really seem to have happened at all. In the meantime, local forces don't have the reosurce to do proper invesigation and there's confusion abour what SOCA and other bodies like CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre) and IWF have power to enforce. It's a mess.
If our own government doesn't understand (the same people who have such a great grasp on IT they think the ID card systems is oing to be a roaring success) then what chance does anyone else have?