Child sex crimes in London up by 30 per cent

The number of child sexual offences in London rocketed by 30 per cent to more than 1,000 crimes last year, new figures reveal today.

Statistics show there were 1,200 offences of child sexual exploitation in the capital in 2017 - compared to 922 crimes in 2016.

The figures were released as Barnardo’s launched a pilot scheme to help child victims of sexual exploitation in London.

The charity said a new pilot scheme was helping child victims of rape and serious sexual assaults in two London boroughs, Hammersmith and Fulham and Redbridge.

So far 22 young people were receiving support from the so-called TIGER scheme with hopes it could be expanded across the capital.

The charity said the scheme helped children “learn how to cope with traumatic memories instead of avoiding them.”

Jessica Juon, assistant director of children’s services at Barnardo’s London, said: “It’s not enough just to teach children about child sexual abuse and exploitation – they need to feel safe.

"Children who have been sexually exploited can feel completely powerless, and being raped or sexually assaulted often causes debilitating levels of trauma.”

The charity is co-hosting a conference with the Met police today to raise awareness of child sexual exploitation.

Scotland Yard said much of the increase in the number of crimes could be due to police improving their recording of offences but admitted the number of crimes could also be rising.

Figures released by police show there were around 3,200 reports of child sexual exploitation abuse in London last year, which included reports where children were feared to be at risk.

Detective Superintendent Steve Ellen said police were trying to improve the way they recognise and record child sexual exploitation offences but could not rule out an increase in offending.

He said: “Child sexual exploitation is a real priority for us and we are getting better at looking for it and dealing with it and we are encouraging people to come forward.”

He said there was no evidence so far that London had issues similar to the child grooming scandals seen in Telford and Rotherham.

However, police in London were tackling child sexual exploitation linked to gangs and other issues such as County Lines drug dealing.

In December last year police said they had identified a grooming gang preying on girls around a fast food restaurant in Stratford, east London.