NSPCC demands action against online grooming

THE NSPCC has called for urgent action as the latest data shows that online grooming crimes in the region have risen by 20%. Figures provided by police forces across the North East and Cumbria show that 370 sexual communication with a child offences were recorded in the last year, compared to 309 in the previous 12 month period.

- By OWEN YOUNGER

On a national level, data from 44 police forces across the UK shows that 7,263 offences were recorded, and where police forces could be directly compared, the number of crimes had increased by 99% from the first year that the offence was introduced, 2017/18.

Of the 2,111 offences where police could identify the platform used, 40% took place on Snapchat, 9% on WhatsApp and 9% on both Facebook and Instagram.

Of those where the gender of the victim was known, 80% of those targeted were girls, and the youngest recorded victim was a 4-year-old boy.

The charity has also highlighted that these are just the offences recorded by police, with the real number of crimes likely to be much higher due to abuse happening in private spaces where it is harder to detect. To tackle this, the NSPCC is publishing new research with solutions which can be used to prevent, detect and disrupt grooming.