Children remain at risk on the web as cyberflag crimes in Wales continue to rise

• The number of cyber-related sex crimes in Wales has risen by 25 per cent on the previous year.
• Since police in Wales began recording internet-enabled crimes four years ago, they have risen by more than 123 per cent.
• NSPCC calls on the next prime minister to prioritise online safety by deliveringstatutory regulation.

Cyberflag- what can parents do?

Cyberflag – Andy Burrows, the NSPCC’s head of child safety online policy.

AT LEAST one child per day is targeted by sex offenders online in Wales, NSPCC figures have revealed.

A Freedom of Information request to police forces in Wales, England and Northern Ireland found there were a record 8,224 child sexual offences logged which had an online element.

In Wales, 576 cyber-related sex crimes, including online grooming, sexual communication with a child, and rape, were recorded by police forces last year, up by 118 on the total of 458 recorded in 2017/18 and more than double the 258 offences recorded in 2015/16.

Last year, the highest number of crimes logged was by Gwent Police (229), followed by South Wales (214) and North Wales (133).

Dyfed-Powys Police were unable to respond to the FOI request so the true number of offences recorded in Wales will be higher still.

The charity is now calling on the next prime minister to stand firm against industry lobbying by prioritising online safety and bringing in laws that deliver a change in protection against abuse.

Across the UK the number of crimes has doubled in the last four years since police began recording whether an offence had an internet element with a cyberflag, up from 4,042 in 2015/16.

The NSPCC fears that the figures may not reveal the true extent of the problem due to potential under-recording of the role of online in these crimes and wide logging variation across forces.

It also comes on top of other online harms against children recorded by police such as indecent image offences.

The worrying figures have been revealed ahead of the NSPCC’s flagship annual conference ‘How Safe Are Our Children?’ which begins today in London.

It comes just days before the UK Government closes its consultation on its Online Harms White Paper, which proposes to introduce an independent regulator to enforce a legal duty of care on tech companies to keep users safe on their platforms.

The NSPCC has led the charge on this for the past two years with its Wild West Web campaign.

Des Mannion, the head of NSPCC Cymru/Wales, said: “Behind each offence is a child suffering at the hands of sex offenders and, worryingly, we know these figures are the tip of the iceberg.

“Far too many children are drowning in a sea of online threats so it’s now time for the next prime minister, whoever he may be, to cast out the life jacket.

“He must hold his nerve and introduce an independent regulator to protect children from the risks of abuse and harmful content.”