MORE must be done to protect girls online, the NSPCC has said, as new figures suggest they are the victim of most online grooming crimes in Dorset.

The data obtained through a Freedom of Information request by the charity, shows Dorset Police recorded 62 offences in which an adult engaged in sexual communication with a child under 16 between July 2020 and March.

The gender of the victim was recorded in 52 crimes – 44 of whom were female, and eight male.

The data also shows that where the age of the female victim was recorded, 28 were aged between 12 and 15, and seven under 11.

The offence of sexual communication with a child, which was introduced in 2017 in England and Wales, refers to crimes committed online as well as in-person or via text message.

However, the NSPCC estimates more than 95 per cent of such offences are committed via the internet.

A spokesperson from Dorset Police said: “Dorset Police takes crimes against woman and girls very seriously and is committed to building upon the trust and respect we already have with our communities to ensure all – particularly women, children and the most vulnerable – feel safe and are safe in our county.

“We must and will continue to work harder with every part of the justice system, partner agencies and the communities we serve.

“At the beginning of the summer the Force increased the resources within the Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT) and through our vulnerability lawyers we have improved the use of Sexual Risk Orders and Sexual Harm Prevention Orders.

“As these are civil orders, we are not reliant upon a criminal conviction and they can provide a number of conditions aimed at preventing offending.

“Earlier this year we launched a new campaign to raise awareness of online child exploitation and the details can be found by following the links below:

https://www.dorset.police.uk/news-information/article/12325

https://www.dorset.police.uk/covid-19-coronavirus/cse-and-covid-19/

Across England and Wales, there were 12,944 recorded offences where the gender was known between April 2017 and March 2021, with 10,722 (83 per cent) of those recording the victim as female.

The NSPCC is calling on the Government to act to ensure it lives up to its previously stated ambition of making the UK the safest place in the world for a child to be online.

It said the Online Safety Bill, currently being examined by MPs and peers, must be strengthened to stop grooming and abuse spreading between apps, disrupt abuse at the earliest possible stage and hold senior managers to account.

Anna Edmundson, head of policy, said: “Any child can be a victim of online sexual abuse but the sheer number of girls being targeted is both alarming and a reminder of the failure of platforms to effectively protect their young users.

“One of the primary functions of the Online Safety Bill is to keep all children – including girls – safe when they go online.

“Now, the new Culture Secretary has the opportunity to fix the substantive weaknesses in the legislation so it does just that.”

The Government said social media companies needed to clamp down on child abuse content and prevent young people from being groomed.

A spokesman said: “Our new laws will be the most comprehensive in the world in protecting children online.

“Failing firms will face hefty fines or have their sites blocked, and we will have the power to make senior managers criminally liable for failing to protect children.”