THE police and crime commissioner says he is astonished by the increase in online sexual grooming cases against children.

PCC John Campion said he was encouraged by the number of people coming forward to report grooming, the numbers were 'astonishing'.

Mr Campion said he remained committed to supporting the Online Safety Bill as online grooming cases increase by 82 per cent. 

Children's charity the NPSCC says 34,000 online grooming crimes had been recorded by UK police forces since it first called for tougher laws in 2017.

The proposed new rules state that tech companies should be able to access the content of private messages if there is a child safety concern.

Many popular apps offer an encrypted messaging service, which means that only the sender and recipient can view the content. The tech firms themselves cannot see it.

However, these privacy functions are available to everybody, and the platforms say they offer extra protection to victims of domestic abuse, journalists and political activists, among others.

They also say that if they build in a backdoor, it will make their services less secure for all.

Earlier this year, Police and Crime Commissioner, John Campion, pledged his support to the Government’s Online Safety Bill, which would protect the most vulnerable internet users by holding technology firms accountable for content shared on its networks.

According to latest data from the leading children’s charity NSPCC, 1,654 online grooming cases have been recorded across four police forces over the past six years, including those reported to West Mercia Police.

This contributes to the 34,000 grooming crimes recorded by 42 UK police forces during the same time period, which is a rise of 82 per cent since the offence was introduced in 2017/2018.

The Online Safety Bill is due to come into effect this autumn and as part of his plan to build a safer West Mercia for all including online communities, the PCC is reiterating his support for the legislation.

The PCC said: “Although I am encouraged by the volume of people coming forward to report online grooming, the numbers are truly astonishing.

“As part of my Safer West Mercia Plan, I am committed to protecting all communities, which includes vulnerable users of the internet and ensuring they don’t become a victim of crime.

“I am assured the Online Safety Bill will action the laws needed to keep people safe online and I will ensure West Mercia Police are taking action to implement the measures incorporated in the legislation.”

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