Record levels of internet grooming spark calls for stronger Online Safety Bill

The NSPCC has urged the Government to strengthen its plans for internet regulation after a sharp rise in the number of online grooming crimes recorded by police in the last three years (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

The number of online grooming crimes recorded by police has risen sharply in the last three years, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) warned as it urged the British government to strengthen its plans for internet regulation.

Figures obtained by the NSPCC from 42 police forces across England and Wales showed the number of recorded offences involving sexual communication with a child had increased by 69% since 2018.