15pc of sex cases now have an online element

FIFTEEN PER cent of sexual offences against children in South Yorkshire now have an online element, say police.

Chief Superintendent Sarah Poolman, of South Yorkshire Police, said that of the 2,000 offences committed in the 12 months to the end of April, just over 300 had an online aspect.

During a meeting of the police and crime commissioner’s public accountability board, Chief Supt Poolman said: “Out of just over 2,000 offences, just over 300, 15 per cent of the totality, have an online element.

“Those are the numbers our system tells us. Clearly, that’s all subject to human fallibility around submission.

“There has been a vast amount of work over the last few years to ensure that officers are far more awareofgettingthosekeywords highlighted on our prime recording system, to enable us to understand where this crime type is taking place.

“We have made significant improvements using the online tag. I wouldn’t say it’s perfect but it gives us an indication – so 15 per cent is where we’re sitting right now.

“I would suggest that it’s higher – and I would suggest in the future that it’s only going to rise, because as we know, technology, young people [are] engaging more and more so. They’ve obviously had Covid, that period where young people have not been able to socialise, and have been doing it all virtually and that’s become the norm.

“It was already pretty much the norm but it’s become even more so since Covid, so anticipate that will rise. For us to be able to recognise and demonstrate that shows that we’re using that tag appropriately.”

A report said that since childmatters training was rolled out across the force, crime recording for child neglect had increased by 174 per cent.

The training is a collaboration between the NSPCC and South Yorkshire Police, which trains police and call handlers to identify child neglect.