School sex offences triple in four years, say West Mercia Police

The number of historic offences reported in schools in the past five years has also risen by 356 per cent, a Freedom of Information request to West Mercia Police has revealed.

There were 21 sex offences recorded in schools by West Mercia Police in 2012. But that figure had risen to 98 last year.

Of the offences recorded in 2016, 93 cases involved student victims. In one case the victim was a teacher and four cases were classified as 'other'.

In 27 of the cases, the victim was aged 10 or under, in 66 cases the victim was between age 11 and 17, in two cases the victim was aged 21 to 40 and in three cases the victim was aged 41 and over.

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There were 16 historic sex offences at schools reported in 2012, a figure that rose to 73 last year.

Historic offences are those offences that are recorded more than a year after the date allegedly committed.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Moxley said: "The figures reflect a national trend that shows an increase in non recent sexual offences being reported in educational establishments.

"It is therefore encouraging to see that survivors of such offences are feeling more empowered and confident to come forward to report offences to the police.

"The increased use of social media by offenders and victims has also contributed to a rise in reports amongst younger people and I would encourage all parents to talk openly to their children about how they can stay safe online.

"We welcome the fact that more young people are becoming increasingly aware of such issues and that they have the confidence to tell someone if they are a victim.

"I recognise how difficult it can be for victims of sexual offences to come forward or seek support but I would urge anyone who has been a victim to contact the police or a third party support network such as the NSPCC."

NSPCC spokesman Ben Reese said: “Although the exact circumstances of these attacks are not clear from the figures, it remains a serious concern that an increasing number of reported sexual offences have taken place on school property.

“Schools and school facilities should always be safe places for pupils and other children. All activity must be underpinned by robust safeguarding procedures and where incidents occur, these protocols must be scrutinised.

“Child sexual abuse destroys lives and we all have a duty to make sure children can recognise abuse and know how to access help. This knowledge could prevent abuse taking place in the first place.

“More than half of these offences recorded by West Mercia Police are non-recent. It is vital that victims reporting past abuse are listened to and action is taken.”