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. 

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.