Online child grooming cases in NI double, report finds

PSNI figures show that sexual communication with a child crimes have risen from 27 recorded offences during the period April to September 2017 to 57 during the same period in 2018.

Meanwhile, more than 5,000 online grooming offences have been recorded by police in England and Wales in just 18 months, data obtained by the NSPCC shows.

The recorded use of Instagram has risen dramatically over the 18-month period. From April 2017 to September 2017, where the communication method was recorded, Instagram was used by groomers in 126 instances, whereas between April 2018 and September 2018 it was recorded 428 times – more than a 200% increase.

The data, obtained from 39 of the 43 forces in England and Wales under Freedom of Information laws, also shows that in the latest six-month period, girls aged 12 to 15 were most likely to be targeted by groomers and victims included children as young as five years old.

Ahead of the imminent publication of the UK government’s Online Harms White Paper, the NSPCC is urging ministers to tame the Wild West Web by bringing in statutory regulation to enforce a legal duty of care to children on social networks, backed by hefty fines if they fail.

An anti-grooming law has been in place across Northern Ireland since February 2016, following a campaign by NSPCC Northern Ireland.

Colin Reid, policy and public affairs manager at NSPCC Northern Ireland, said: “These figures are overwhelming evidence that keeping children safe cannot be left to social networks.

“We cannot wait for the next tragedy before tech companies are made to act. It is hugely concerning to see the sharp spike in grooming offences on Instagram, and it is vital that the platform designs basic protection more carefully into the service it offers young people.

“After 10 years of failed self-regulation by social networks, it is crucial that the UK Government’s imminent Online Harms White Paper includes new laws that tackle online grooming once and for all.”

Between April 2018 to September 2018, police forces in England and Wales recorded 1,944 grooming offences.

Police revealed which methods groomers used in 1,317 instances, and records show Instagram was used in 32%, Facebook in 23% and Snapchat in 14% of those instances. The NSPCC is concerned the majority of grooming offences continue to take place on the three largest sites with the resources to tackle this issue.