Grooming crimes reach record high

ONLINE grooming crimes have hit record levels in the South West - with Devon and Cornwall seeing an increase of than 350%.

- By IAN LEWIS

Figures provided by the five police forces for the region to the NSPCC, highlight 756 sexual communication with a child offences were recorded last year - double the figure recorded when the law came into force in 2017/18.

Broken down by force area, in Avon and Somerset, the total number of online grooming offences for 2024/25 stands at 300, compared to 229 in 2017/18. Devon and Cornwall has seen a jump of more than 350%, from 58 in 2017/18, to 211 in 2024/25.

On a wider scale, figures provided by 44 police forces across the UK, show that 7,263 of those offences were recorded last year. Where police forces could be compared, the number of crimes almost doubled (99%) from the first year of offences being recorded in 2017/18.

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