Online child sex offences double in a year in region
The number of online child sex offences in the region has more than doubled in a year, new figures have revealed.
According to the NSPCC there were 389 of the offences in West Mercia in 2019/20, a 104 per cent increase on the 191 the year before.
It comes as nationwide the number of online child sex crimes logged by police in a year has passed 10,000 for the first time.
West Mercia Police said the figures reflected the efforts made by the force to track down and catch those responsible.
The NSPCC has called on the government to push forward with the Online Harms Bill, which would place a legal duty of care on technology firms to protect children, enforced by an independent regulator.
The charity is calling on the Government to publish its final plans before the end of the year, and get an Online Harms Bill on the statute book by the end of 2021.
Andy Burrows, NSPCC Head of Child Safety Online Policy, said: “These figures suggest that online abuse was already rising before lockdown, and the risks to children appear to have spiked significantly since.
Prioritise
“It is now almost 17 months since the Government’s original proposals for social media regulation were published and children continue to face preventable harm online.
“At the Hidden Harms Summit, the Prime Minister signalled he was determined to act. That’s why he needs to prioritise making progress on a comprehensive Online Harms Bill this autumn, and pass legislation by the end of 2021, that sees tech firms held criminally and financially accountable if they put children at risk.”
Head of crime and vulnerability at West Mercia Police, Chief Superintendent Damian Barratt, said the force is satisfied that the increase in the number of offences is due to the offences being prioritised by the force.
He said: “These figures demonstrate that we are proactively seeking out criminals involved in online child sex crimes to bring them to justice. Our absolute priority is safeguarding those who are vulnerable, which of course includes children and the increased risks they face online.
“We have a team of specially trained officers dedicated to identifying and arresting offenders who are involved in online sex offences. The team was set up to protect and deal with the sensitivities of these complex types of investigations and working alongside our partners to ensure that all identified victims are safeguarded.
“Whilst we recognise there may be differences in the way online offences are identified and recorded, we are confident that our increased proactivity and prioritisation in this area has no doubt led to the increased reported offences and we will continue working with The National Crime Agency and Regional Organised Crime Units to maximise identification of possible offences and pursue offenders.”
