Police Scotland warns of doubling in reports of online child abuse

Jo Farrell, the chief constable of Police Scotland, has said that reports of online child abuse have more than doubled from last year.  

Speaking at Holyrood’s Criminal Justice Committee, Farell highlighted concerns over the budget for the national force, which has been under increasing pressure over the last year. 

“Last year we received just in excess of 700 notifications in relation to suspicions, information and intelligence around online harm relating to children,” said Farell. “In just one year, that has increased to nearly 1,500.” 

She added: “There is a considerable amount of work that goes into identifying where the risk is, who the risks are against, how we safeguard those children and what the investigation then looks like,” Farrell said. “I’ll just repeat that, 700 to 1,500 in just 12 months.” 

To keep children safe online, Police Scotland recommends that parents monitor their children’s online activity, emphasise the importance of responsible sharing and have regular, open conversations about the child’s experiences online. 

“The warning from the chief constable that the number of online child abuse reports to the police has more than doubled in a year must be the wake up call that Scotland needs," said Mary Glasgow, chief executive at Scotland's national children's charity, Children First. 

"We are sleepwalking into the digital destruction of childhood. Every child in Scotland is vulnerable to exploitation, violence and sexual abuse on a scale that has never been seen before. The Scottish Government must act now and bring together a new coalition of children’s services, education, child protection, health, justice, the third sector and the tech companies that will fight to protect children and preserve childhood in this digital age.”

In Scotland, members of the public are encouraged to report online child abuse to the authorities by phoning 101, visiting a police station or contacting a range of children’s charities such as Barnardos or the NSPCC.