ONLINE grooming offences have increased by nearly 70 per cent across Dorset in the last three years. 

Dorset Police have seen a 67.5 per cent increase in offences since 2017, higher than the regional average.

In 2017/18 there were 37 offences reported to Dorset Police, there were 61 new offences in 20 this number rose to 61 in 2019/20 and 62 offences in 2020/21. 

Government figures provided by an FOI from the NSPCC show that recorded offences in the South West increased by 28.6 per cent between 2017 and 2021. 

Detective Chief Inspector Steve May, of Dorset Police’s Public Protection Unit, said: “Dorset Police has continued to strengthen its response and resource capability to deal with sexual offences against children, with more officers in dedicated teams such as the Integrated Missing Person and Child Exploitation Team, Child Abuse Investigation Team and Paedophile Online Investigation Team.

“The officers and staff within these teams receive specific training to ensure an awareness and understanding of these often complex crimes, which affect some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.

“Dorset Police is a member of the Pan-Dorset Safeguarding Children Partnership, which works to identify children at significant risk of criminal exploitation and prevent them coming to harm, as well as pursuing the perpetrators of such abuse.

“Nationally, online child grooming offences have increased.

"This is as a result of more and more young people using social media, but also due to the police and other agencies becoming much better at identifying offenders.

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More needs to be done to ensure the safety of children online according to the NSPCC. Credit: PA

“We would encourage everyone to help educate young people on internet use. Simple measures such as only allowing children to use devices online with a parent present and not allowing devices to be taken into the bathroom or bedroom would assist in preventing these types of offences.

“There are guides online that can assist parents and provide advice, such as regular checking of phones and devices and putting restrictions on applications that are downloaded to devices.

“If you have been a victim of a sexual offence, please come forward and report the matter so that we can carry out a full and thorough investigation.”

The NSPCC have called for the Draft Online Safety Bill, published in May, to go further to keep children safe, matching up to the scale and nature of the child abuse happening online. 

The national children’s safety charity says The Bill must address how abuse rapidly spreads across platforms and ensure companies respond effectively to content that enables abuse.

Cllr Mike White, portfolio holder for children and young people, said:"I welcome the government initiative to exercise tighter control over material on social media which may harm our children and young people.  

“Sadly the reported figures are indicative of the scale of the problem but also underline the fact that there is significant work going on locally between all the agencies to highlight the signs to look for and to detect and deal with perpetrators. 

“We work very closely with all our safeguarding partners to ensure everything is being done to stop online grooming from happening  both operationally through our dedicated services and strategically  through our Multi-agency Tactical  group .  

“The work is complex and challenging but we are determined that our children should be safe and protected and have made significant investment in this area of the council's work."

The Bill is due to be scrutinised by a Joint Committee of MPs and Lords from September.