Online grooming crimes have reached record levels across the West Midlands as new data emerges

Online grooming crimes involving children have reached record levels across the West Midlands according to new data. More than 450 offences involving sexual communication with a child were recorded by police forces in the region last year (2023/24) – more than double since 2017/18 when the offence first came into force, the NSPCC found.

Figures provided by Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Mercia and West Midlands police forces show 457 Sexual Communication with a Child offences were recorded in 2023/24. This is compared to 1194 in 2017/18 when the offence first came into force.

Meanwhile, the number of online grooming crimes recorded by police forces across the UK has increased by 89% in six years (since 2017/18), with more than 7,000 offences recorded in 2023/24. The new findings reveal that Snapchat* was the most popular platform used by perpetrators to target children online last year, with the messaging app present in almost half (48%) of grooming cases across the United Kingdom.

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Meta platforms were also popular with offenders, featuring in over a quarter of UK recorded cases where a platform was known, with WhatsApp (12%), Facebook and Messenger (10%), and Instagram (6%) all being used to abuse children. Facebook, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok were all used in cross-platform grooming where the pattern of abuse points to a culture where the first point of contact between children and would-be offenders is on the open web.

This can include social media chat apps, video games and messaging apps on consoles, dating sites and chatrooms. Children are then encouraged to continue communication on private and encrypted messaging platforms where abuse can proceed undetected.

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Girls are predominantly targeted by offenders for online grooming, making up 81% of total UK recorded cases where gender was known in 2023/24. The youngest victim of online grooming in 2023/24 was a five-year-old boy.

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.”