ONLINE grooming crimes have more than doubled across the West Midlands in the past seven years, according to figures revealed by a children’s charity.
The NSPCC said data provided by Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Mercia and West Midlands police forces show 457 Sexual Communication with a Child offences were recorded in 2023/24 – more than double the figure (194) in 2017/18 when the offence first came into force.
The number of online grooming crimes recorded by police forces across the UK has increased by 89 per cent in six years (since 2017/18), with more than 7,000 offences recorded in 2023/24.
According to the data Warwickshire Police saw 50 cases in 2023/24 compared to 35 cases in 2017/18, West Midlands Police reported 261 cases in 2023/24 in comparison to 25 cases seven years ago and West Mercia Police saw 83 cases in the most recent year compared to 73 cases in 2017/18.
The NSPCC added the new findings reveal Snapchat and Meta platforms were the most popular platforms used by perpetrators to target children online last year.
It added girls were predominantly targeted by offenders for online grooming, making up 81 per cent of total UK recorded cases where gender was known in 2023/24.
The NSPCC has issued these findings a year on from the Online Safety Act being passed.
The charity is urging Ofcom to significantly strengthen the rules social media platforms must follow to tackle child sexual abuse on their products.
They say the regulator currently puts too much focus on acting after harm has taken place rather than being proactive to ensure the design features of social media apps are not contributing to abuse.
The NSPCC is also calling on the Government to strengthen legislation to ensure child sexual abuse is disrupted in private messages such as on Snapchat and WhatsApp.
The charity’s Voice of Online Youth young people’s group said it was not surprised at the prevalence of Snapchat in offences.
Sir Peter Wanless, NSPCC chief executive, said: “One year since the Online Safety Act became law and we are still waiting for tech companies to make their platforms safe for children.
“We need ambitious regulation by Ofcom who must significantly strengthen their current approach to make companies address how their products are being exploited by offenders.
“It is clear that much of this abuse is taking place in private messaging which is why we also need the UK Government to strengthen the Online Safety Act to give Ofcom more legal certainty to tackle child sexual abuse on the likes of Snapchat and WhatsApp.”
National Police Chief’s council lead for Child Protection and Abuse Investigations (CPAI), Becky Riggs, said: “The numbers in this NSPCC data are shocking and policing joins partners in urging tech companies and Ofcom to fulfil their legal and moral obligations to keep children safe from harm within the online communities they have created.
“A year on from the Online Safety Act being passed, it is imperative that the responsibility of safeguarding children online is placed with the companies who create spaces for them, and the regulator strengthens rules that social media platforms must follow.
“Policing will not stop in its fight against those who commit these horrific crimes. We cannot do this alone, so while we continue to pursue and prosecute those who abuse and exploit children, we repeat our call for more to be done by companies in this space.”
