POLICE forces across the region have seen a huge increase in reports of online child sex offences since a change in recording practices.

In 2015/16 it became mandatory for forces to record a “cyber flag” when offences had an online element to them.

This includes crimes that had a cyber element such as grooming, sexual assault and rape.

Figures supplied to the NSPCC by the North-East and Cumbria forces, excluding Durham Police, show that the number of offences with a cyber element have risen by more than 300 per cent.

In North Yorkshire, there were 81 such crimes recorded in 2015/16 which leapt to 151 in the last reported year.

Durham Police did not provide figures for 2015/16, but they recorded 375 crimes with a cyber element in 2017/18 and 509 the following year.

Nationally, the total number of recorded offences since it became mandatory to record whether a crime involved the internet is more than 37,000.

However, the NSPCC says this figure is likely to significantly understate the true extent of the problem due to potential under-recording by police forces of the role of the internet and variation in the way forces log these crimes.

While the Freedom of Information data does not include the lockdown period, risks to children online increased and Childline counselling sessions on grooming went up.

The charity says this highlights the urgent need for the Government to push forward with the Online Harms Bill, which would place a legal Duty of Care on tech firms to protect children.

Andy Burrows, NSPCC head of child safety online policy, said: “These figures suggest that online abuse was already rising before lockdown, and the risks to children appear to have spiked significantly since."

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Sexual predators can easily befriend children online Picture: Pixabay

Meanwhile, officers from the Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT) in Cleveland are warning youths of the dangers of the internet after receiving 208 reports of online child sexual exploitation between January and June this year.

POLIT Sergeant Kev Carter said:“This team deals with extremely complex and sensitive enquiries and it is fair to say that people would be horrified if we were able to talk fully about the things that we deal with.

"A lot of our work takes place out of the spotlight away from the public eye to protect the innocent people involved.

“Protecting children is what drives every member of my team.

"The difficult truth is that many people are not fully aware of what truly goes on online between their children and internet strangers."

Sgt Carter added: “I would ask that parents keep a close eye on who their children are chatting to online.

"People can use the internet to their advantage and use the many sources of safeguarding advice to follow the trends and educate themselves on where the risk is. It is important for parents, guardians and teachers to teach children about the dangers of speaking to people online but it is just as important to have open and honest conversations with the children.

“Children need to know not to speak to people they don’t know on different apps and social media pages and not to arrange to meet up with strangers.

"A lot of offenders pose as younger people to gain trust, form relationships, and eventually obtain indecent images.

"Once the first image has been sent, the child is entrapped and extremely vulnerable.

“Our job is to catch offenders out and when offences of this nature are identified online, action is always taken to protect vulnerable children.

"The devastating actions of perpetrators not only cause serious harm to children but they also have a profound impact on the innocent family and friends around them.

"As a Force we want to make it clear, if you are caught carrying out online offences against children or sharing indecent images; you will be caught, it is only a matter of time and we will bring you to justice.”