25% RISE IN GARDA CHILD PORN PROBES
Justice Minister Mcentee says 2021 cases hit a shocking 490
THE number of new child pornography investigations opened by the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau last year increased by 25% to 212.
That is according to new figures provided by Justice Minister Helen Mcentee which show that the overall number of new cases handled by the Garda cyber crime bureau last year increased to 490.
The number of cases closed last year by the Garda cyber crime unit saw a sharp increase rising by 29% from 333 to 431 and the rise is due the number of court sittings increasing last year over 2020 when Covid-19 restrictions had a much greater impact.
The GNCCB work in the area of child pornography cases accounts for the largest proportion of its work.
The 212 child pornography cases accounted for 43% of its new work in 2021.
Already this year, the GNCCB has handled 59 new child pornography investigations.
In a written Dail response to Sinn Fein’s Sorca Clarke TD, Minister Mcentee confirmed that the child exploitation/ grooming cases investigated by the GNCCB last year increased by 32% from 34 to 45 while the number of new child exploitation/grooming investigations this year is 13.
After child pornography, the next largest area that the GNCCB dealt with was theft and fraud.
The number of theft and fraud offences investigations last year was 56 compared to 58 in 2020. The cyber crime unit has opened 15 investigations under that heading this year.
Online harassment is also a focus of the Department of Justice and the gardai and the figures show that the GNCCB last year investigated 23 new harassment cases compared to 19 in 2020 and the figure for this year is already up to 15.
The number of human trafficking cases last year by the cyber crime bureau is 12 compared to only one in 2020.
Minister Mcentee said: “The Bureau is the national Garda unit tasked with the forensic examination of computer media seized during the course of any criminal investigations.
“[It] conducts investigations into cyber-dependent crimes which are complex in nature.”