One fifth of child sex offences in South Yorkshire committed online
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The NSPCC has warned that tech companies are enabling the crimes by failing to design their sites with the safety of children in mind.
Figures released to the charity under the Freedom of Information Act revealed that 509 grooming and online offences involving victims under 18 were recorded by South Yorkshire Police in 2019-20 – up 36 per cent on the previous year.
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A total of 18 per cent of all sex crimes recorded against children by the force were committed online.
The number of online sex crimes against children across England and Wales topped 10,000 in 2019-20, with the Home Office claiming around 700 people are arrested each month.
Andy Burrows, head of child safety online policy at the NSPCC, said: “Offenders are using the web to commit child sex offences in ever-growing numbers.
“But these crimes have been enabled by tech companies that continue to fail to design their sites with children’s safety in mind.”
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Hide AdA Home Office spokesman said: “Tackling online child abuse is a priority and we are working at pace to develop legislation to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online.”
South Yorkshire Police said: “We want children to feel able to report abuse that is happening to them. This data demonstrates the bravery of children coming forward and reporting crimes, and the work of police and partners to encourage reporting, identify offences and support victims.“We now have a much more thorough recording process in place across the country to ensure that crimes of child sexual abuse are highlighted and captured.“We will continue to see an increase in reporting as more victims feel a greater confidence in the police and our partner agencies, and feel comfortable being able to report their crimes.“We want to reassure victims that we take child sexual abuse incredibly seriously and if you report abuse or exploitation to us, you will be believed and the matter will be investigated, with a multi-agency approach employed to ensure that victims receive the support they need.”