NSPCC pushes for online safety bill as Sexual Communication with a Child offences increase by 83 percent in Hampshire

Data from police forces in London, Kent, Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire shows that a total of 5,636 Sexual Communication with a Child offences were recorded since 2017/18, which is when the offence came into force.

In Hampshire 279 online grooming offences were recorded for 2022/23 which is a staggering increase for the 152 offences in 2017/18 and in total, since the offence came into force, approximately 992 offences were recorded.

The Hampshire police have not provided details of the number of offences committed in 2021/22 which suggests that the total number of offences is likely to be higher.

Research conducted by the NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) also found that in the UK, over 34,000 offences were recorded by the police during this time period and of that number, 5,500 of these crimes involved children in primary school.

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Sir Peter Wanless, NSPCC Chief Executive said: “Today’s research highlights the sheer scale of child abuse happening on social media and the human cost of fundamentally unsafe products.

“The number of offences must serve as a reminder of why the Online Safety Bill is so important and why the ground-breaking protections it will give children are desperately needed."

The charity has been pushing for the Online Safety Bill to come into effect and it is now going through the parliamentary process in a bid to make tech companies protect young people.

The online bill will mean that senior tech bosses will be held liable for failures that put children at risk of sexual abuse or harm whilst online.

Children were targeted on over 150 apps online with Snapchat being used in more than a quarter of offences over the six-year period.

Sir Peter Wanless added: “We’re pleased the Government has listened and strengthened the legislation so companies must tackle how their sites contribute to child sexual abuse in a tough but proportionate way, including in private messaging.

“It’s now up to tech firms, including those highlighted by these stark figures today, to make sure their current sites and future services do not put children at unacceptable risk of abuse.”