Lancashire sees child abuse image offences rise by 92 per cent over the past five years

A Freedom of Information request (FOI) by the charity to Lancashire Police showed child abuse image offences in Lancashire had risen by an alarming 92 per cent over the past five years, with an average year on year increase of 21 per cent. The figures also showed that police recorded 4,819 offences between 2016/2017 and 2021/2022. In 2016/2017, there were 591 offences recorded in the borough.

In the following year, there were 674. In 2018/2019 there were 770 recorded offences, followed by 718 the following year. In 2020/2021 police recorded 933 offences, and in 2021/2022 there were 1,133.

Nationally, child abuse image offences recorded by police forces across the UK have jumped by two thirds (66 per cent) in five years, with more than 30,000 crimes involving the sharing and possession of indecent images of children recorded last year (2021/22), according to freedom of information data obtained by the children’s charity. Offences increased nationally to the highest figure on record (30,925), suggesting the heightened risk seen during the pandemic has not gone away.

The child protection charity warned that unregulated social media is fuelling the unprecedented scale of online child sexual abuse and behind every offence could be multiple child victims who are continually revictimised as images are shared. They also warned how child abuse had become "normalised" and called on the government to give children, including victims of sexual abuse, a powerful voice and expert representation in future regulation by creating a statutory child safety advocate through the Online Safety Bill.

This would ensure that children’s experiences are front and centre of decision making, building safeguarding experience into regulation to prioritise child protection. It comes as the new research shows Snapchat is the social media site offenders most used to share child abuse images. The app, popular with teens, was used in 43 per cent of instances where platform data was provided by police.

Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, which are all owned by Meta, were used in a third (33 per cent) of instances where a site was flagged. In 2021/22 the total number of instances where a social media or gaming site was recorded by the police in an offence was 9,888 times. Of these Snapchat was recorded 4,293 times, Facebook 1,361, Instagram 1,363 and WhatsApp 547.

“These new figures are incredibly alarming but reflect just the tip of the iceberg of what children are experiencing online”

Sir Peter Wanless, Chief Executive of the NSPCC, said: “These new figures are incredibly alarming but reflect just the tip of the iceberg of what children are experiencing online. We hear from young people who feel powerless and let down as online sexual abuse risks are becoming normalised for a generation of children."

He added: “By creating a child safety advocate that stands up for children and families the government can ensure the Online Safety Bill systemically prevents abuse.

“It would be inexcusable if in five years’ time we are still playing catch-up to pervasive abuse that has been allowed to proliferate on social media.”