‘Huge’ rise in grooming across Wales
CHILD grooming offences have seen an “enormous” rise across Wales, the NSPCC has warned, with more than half of all crimes recorded by South Wales Police.
Grooming offences have more than trebled in one year, ONS figures show, with 119 offences in Wales in 2016-17 compared to 36 the previous year.
South Wales Police saw the largest increase across Wales, with 64 crimes recorded, compared to eight in 2015-16.
Gwent Police also saw a rise from two to 16 offences, with 25 grooming offences committed in Powys and 14 in North Wales. The NSPCC has warned that “urgent action” and police training is needed to tackle the growth.
The figures form part of a 64% rise across Wales and England after a new offence was introduced in April after NSPCC campaign Flaw in the Law making it illegal to send a sexual message to a child.
Recorded grooming offences also include the crime of meeting after grooming, which saw former England footballer Adam Johnson convicted after meeting a 15-yearold fan with who he had exchanged sexual messages. Des Mannion, head of NSPCC Wales, said the figures show that more young people are willing to talk about sexual grooming.
He said: “This is an enormous rise in recorded grooming offences over such a short period, and the fact that records of grooming offences have increased substantially more than most other crimes shows the need for urgent action.
“More young people are speaking up about sexual grooming, and it’s vital that now more than ever police are given the training and the resources to tackle this issue. Groomers need to be stopped be- fore they go to meet their victim, and following the NSPCC’s Flaw in the Law campaign, police now have the tools they need to intervene before abuse escalates.
“We all have a part to play in keeping children safe online.
“The NSPCC’s Net Aware website has useful tools for parents about popular new websites, how to set up privacy controls and how to talk to children about online safety.”
A spokeswoman for South Wales Police described identifying child grooming as a “highest priority”.
She said: “It is vitally important for us that victims have the confidence to report any incident of abuse to the police and the figures reflect the fact that there has been an increase in reporting.
“People need to know that they will always be listened to and supported.
“Our ability to react to incidents of abuse against children is of the highest priority for South Wales Police and we are actively pursuing every opportunity to identify children at risk, focussing our efforts in making sure victims get all the support they need.
“We also work closely with our voluntary and statutory partners to support victims and prevent crime, and are continually improving systems for identifying and responding to all forms of child abuse.
“The latest figures also reflect the improvements we’ve made in the way we record crime.
“We are now gaining a more accurate picture of crime which is victimfocussed.
“This in turn increases reporting by encouraging people to have the confidence to talk to the police.
With Childline only able to help three out of four children, the NSPCC is now appealing for people donate to the charity’s Light Up Christmas for Children campaign.