August 10, 2020 10.13 am This story is over 42 months old

Child sex offences up by 74% in Lincolnshire

Almost three cases a day in Lincolnshire

By Local Democracy Reporter

Child sex offences in the county are up 74% over five years, with Lincolnshire Police investigating over 1,000 cases last year alone.

New figures from the NSPCC show that 1,042 child sex offences were reported to police in the county last year — almost 3 cases a day.

Some 598 offences were reported in 2014/15, which is 74% less than 2019/20’s total figure.

Nationally, there was a total of 73,518 recorded child sex offences, including rape, online grooming and sexual assault, in 2019/20.

That equates to more than 200 offences every day, and a 57% rise from five years ago.

Detective Chief Inspector Karl Whiffen from the Protecting Vulnerable People Unit of Lincolnshire Police said: “Sexual offences against children are incredibly disturbing and have no place within our society.

“We have been working hard over several years to make sure that we identify such abhorrent offences, record them effectively and safeguard victims.

“This is paramount for us, and recognising the importance of a multi-agency approach, throughout 2019 here in Lincolnshire we have developed a Police Safeguarding Hub which collaborates with our partners to identify more victims than we previously could.

“Preventing such shocking abuse in the first place is a priority for us and we want to hear from parents, carers, family members or anyone who suspects abuse.

“Our communities have a huge part to play in protecting our county’s young people so please make a report if you think something is not quite right.”


Anyone concerned about a child can contact the NSPCC Helpline for advice on 0808 800 5000. Adult victims of non-recent sexual abuse can also get in touch for support. Childline is available for young people on 0800 1111 or at www.childline.org.uk