Rise in perverts reported over obscene images

MORE than 1,000 reports were made to police about extreme porn and other obscene material last year in Greater Manchester – and the figure continues to rise.

Greater Manchester Police logged a total 1,264 obscene publication offences in the year to July 2019. That is the third-largest figure for any police force in England and Wales, after London and West Yorkshire.

It marks a slight rise from the 1,258 offences recorded in the 12 months to July 2018.

The figure has risen every year since July 2013, when there were 123 crimes recorded by GMP. Material that falls under the ‘obscene publications’ category includes child abuse images, extreme pornography and images of bestiality.

The rise in Greater Manchester forms part of a nationwide picture in which police are recording increasing numbers of obscene publication offences.

The latest Home Office figures show that recorded number of obscene publication crimes has increased by 673 per cent since the year to July 2013. There were 25,046 recorded in the year to July 2019.

That was up from 23,913 in the year to July 2018, 19,385 in the year to July 2017, and 14,239 in the year to July 2016. The same period in 2013 saw just 3,722 offences recorded.

Part of the rise may be explained by a 2015 law which banned the possession of pornographic images depicting acts of rape and assault by penetration.

However the figures only relate to incidents logged as crimes by the police – so it is likely they only scratch the surface of a much larger problem.

Cases where someone has taken indecent images of children but also committed assault are not included in the figures.