Child abuse image crimes in Northern Ireland rise by more than 30% in a year

The number of child abuse image crimes recorded in Northern Ireland has gone up by more than 30% in the space of a year.

That's according to new data obtained by children's charity the NSPCC, which is calling for tougher action from tech companies.

The NSPCC says in Northern Ireland in 2022/23, there were 690 offences recorded, compared to 521 in 2021/22.

The PSNI data and figures obtained through Freedom of Information requests sent to 34 police forces throughout the rest of the UK, reveal that across the UK, more than 33,000 offences where child abuse images were collected and distributed, were logged in 2022/23.

Across the UK as a whole, this is up 79% since 2017/18 when the NSPCC first called for social media regulation.

Since 2017/18, there have been 2,988 child sexual abuse image crimes recorded in Northern Ireland.

In a statement a spokesperson for social media platform Snapchat said, “Child sexual abuse is horrific and has no place on Snapchat. We use cutting-edge detection technology to find and remove this type of content, and work with police to support their investigations. Snapchat also has extra safety features for 13 - 17 year olds, including pop-up warnings if they’re contacted by someone they don’t know.”

Meta has been contacted for comment.

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