Cornwall's lockdown child grooming crimes revealed
Devon and Cornwall Police recorded 34 offences between April and June
Last updated 16th Nov 2020
It has been revealed how many child grooming crimes were recorded in Cornwall and Devon during the first lockdown.
According to the NSPCC, Devon and Cornwall Police recorded 34 Sexual Communication with a Child offences between April and June 2020.
The total number recorded by our force in 2019/2020 was 76, compared to 109 the year before and 56 in 2017/2018.
Nationwide, the number of online grooming crimes recorded against children during the first Coronavirus lockdown reached 1,220, with the NSPCC warning that "the true scale of the problem is likely to be much higher".
Figures released by the NSPCC show that Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp were used in 51% of instances where the means of communication was recorded. Snapchat was used in 20% of instances for which data was available.
The NSPCC said "the pandemic had created a perfect storm for online offenders" and believes "these figures could mark the start of a surge in online grooming crimes".
"With ongoing Coronavirus restrictions across the UK, the charity believes that the risk of online abuse will continue to spike and many more offences may come to light when children report them at school".
One girl who contacted Childline during the pandemic said: "I am 12 and I don’t have social media but I wanted to get online and chat to people since my friends had done it and told me it would be fun. It started off fine with the occasional ‘hi’ and then men started sending d*** pics and saying really personal things".
The data comes ahead of an expected announcement about new online harms laws, that could mean a 'Duty of Care' for tech firms.
The Prime Minister is being urged to ensure companies and named managers can be held criminally responsible for failing to protect children from avoidable harm and abuse.
The offence of Sexual Communication with a Child came in in April 2017 after a campaign by the NSPCC, making it illegal for an adult to send a sexual message to a child.
The charity wants the upcoming Online Harms Bill to compel tech firms to consider child protections when they design their sites to prevent harm rather than react once the damage is done.
But it is warning tough deterrents will be needed to make some of the world’s biggest companies stand up and listen and is concerned the Government may not go far enough.
NSPCC Chief Executive Peter Wanless said: "Families have long paid the price for big tech’s failure to protect children from abuse, but the Prime Minister has the chance to turn the tide and put responsibility on firms to clean up the mess they created.
"As the pandemic intensifies the threat children face online, bold and ambitious action is needed in the form of a world-leading Online Harms Bill.
"This means legislation that is tough on online crimes against children and regulation that holds tech companies and bosses financially and criminally responsible if they continue to turn a blind eye to entirely avoidable harm".
Chief Constable Simon Bailey added: "In an increasingly digitally connected world, perpetrators of child abuse are conducting more and more of their activities online. Offenders use the internet to access and share child abuse images, and to make contact with and groom children directly.
"Although online regulation is difficult, it is clear that it is the only way to ensure tech and social media companies will take their responsibilities seriously. The Online Harms White Paper, published in February 2020, proposes a new regulatory framework and duty of care which have the potential to be of real use in the fight against child exploitation".