Online crimes against under 16s skyrocket in South Yorkshire
Most offences were related to stalking and harassment
Last updated 13th Nov 2024
Crimes against children taking place online in South Yorkshire have increased by 28 per cent since 2020, according to new figures.
The number of online crimes against children under the age of 16 reported in the region increased from 1,130 in 2021 to 1,489 in 2023.
This marks a 28 per cent increase over the last three years, reflecting a worrying trend that mirrors national patterns.
According to a freedom of information request submitted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the most common offence was stalking and harassment, making up more than half of the online crimes reported this year so far.
This was followed by sexual offences (328), and ‘crimes against society’ (85).
Earlier this year, South Yorkshire Police carried out Operation Spring Bravo – a fortnight of dedicated action to bring internet sexual offenders to justice.
It led to 17 arrests and 47 children safeguarded.
Detective Chief Inspector Gary Magnay, South Yorkshire Police’s force lead for child abuse, said: “Online child abuse is a growing concern nationally as more and more children lead more technologically-enabled lives.
“There is no denying that children are spending more time online and this does put them at risk of abuse, exploitation and harm.
“It’s important we all play our part to help minimise that risk, particularly parents and guardians who can make small changes at home to better protect their children from online abuse.
“In collaboration with our key safeguarding partners, our Internet Sexual Offences Team works incredibly hard to keep children safe online and stop sexual offenders in their tracks. It’s important we continue to do all we can to ensure the safety of some of the youngest and most vulnerable people in our communities.”
The NSPCC says that online grooming offences against children have risen to a record high, and called for tougher legislation from the UK government.
Their figures show that more than 7,000 sexual communication with a child offences were recorded by police last year, an increase of 89 per cent since 2017/18 when the offence first came into force.
The research found that almost half of offences were committed through Snapchat, with WhatsApp and Facebook following behind.
Snapchat told the BBC earlier this month it had “zero tolerance” of the sexual exploitation of young people, and had extra safety measures in place for teens and their parents.