National Analysis of Police-Recorded Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Crimes Report 2024

Child sexual abuse cases rise as online threats surge – policing steps up response

Two major national reports published today provide the most comprehensive picture yet of child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE) recorded by police across England and Wales in 2024. The National Analysis of Police-Recorded CSAE Crimes Report 2024 and the Group-Based Offending Report 2024 highlight both the breadth of CSAE and the unique challenges posed by organised, multi-offender networks.

Child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE) offences recorded by police in England and Wales have risen sharply over the last 12 months. The data reveals a 6% increase in CSAE crimes in 2024, alongside a surge in online exploitation, which now accounts for 42% of all offences. This is despite continued evidence of high levels of under-reporting with wider estimates suggesting that only one in 10 CSAE offences are reported. Senior policing leaders warn that these findings demand a renewed, whole-system approach to protect children from harm.

Read the full report National Analysis of Police Recorded Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Crimes Report

National Analysis of Police Recorded Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation CSAE crimes report 2024 for England and Wales Revised Version

Read the Group-Based Offending Report 2025

Key Findings

• Overall scale: 122,768 CSAE offences recorded in 2024 – a 6% increase from 2023.
• Online abuse: CSAE with an online footprint rose by 26%, now representing 42% of all offences.
• Victim & suspect profiles: 78% of all CSAE victims were female; 82% of all CSAE suspects male.
• Child-on-child abuse: 50% of CSAE offences are committed by children aged 10-17 years
• CSA in the family environment – these make up 26% of offences where the relationship with the perpetrator is known.
• Group-based offending: Accounts for 3.6% of all CSAE crimes; familial abuse remains the largest category (32%).
• Within group based contact offences: A newly tracked category of child on child abuse shows that this comprises 25% of all victims and 29% of all suspects.

Police forces across England and Wales are stepping up efforts to tackle CSAE and prevent harm. Over the next 12 months all 43 forces will have access to the Tackling Organised Exploitation Programme (TOEX) Capabilities Environment (CE)—a secure platform providing innovative tools designed to support complex investigations into serious crimes such as group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse.

The CE equips officers and staff with tools that streamline investigative processes, saving valuable time and resources for any policing investigation. Already in use across many forces, some of these tools have been independently evaluated by the Home Office, who found them delivering faster results, reducing investigative delays, and freeing up officers to focus on frontline work and victim support.

Policing leaders have made trauma-informed practice a cornerstone of CSAE investigations. Frontline officers and specialist teams now receive training designed to help them understand the impact of trauma on victims and adapt their approach accordingly. This includes techniques for building trust, reducing re-traumatisation during interviews, and ensuring victims feel supported throughout the criminal justice process. By embedding trauma-informed principles, policing aims to improve outcomes for victims and strengthen confidence in reporting.

This year, the launch of the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection (NCVPP) a partnership between the College of Policing and the NPCC marked a pivotal step in strengthening the policing response to CSAE and wider vulnerability. The NCVPP provides unified expertise, evidence-based guidance and trauma-informed practice to support VAWG and Public Protection work across all forces. By improving investigative standards, integrating research and data, and enhancing multi agency coordination, the NCVPP will strengthen safeguarding and deliver faster, higher quality investigations. For victims and survivors, this means clearer access to support, a more consistent and accountable justice process, and a system that prioritises their safety and wellbeing helping to rebuild trust and reduce harm.

Both reports published today have the aim of driving further change in policing strategy, developing work already progressing to take a data-driven approach, supporting forces to prioritise accurate recording and analysis to identify patterns and emerging threats. The data we hold emphasises the need for a whole-system response where police, social care, education, and health agencies work together to prevent harm and safeguard children. All this work focuses on victim-centred practice with agencies taking a trauma-informed approach to investigations, improving support for those who have been subjected to the most abhorrent abuse and exploitation.

This analysis will directly feed into the wider Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) and Public Protection Strategic Threat and Risk Assessment (STRA) that the NCVPP will publish in the Spring, ensuring that the insights from these reports are fully integrated and drive the next phase of coordinated national work in this area.

Acting Chief Constable Becky Riggs, NPCC Lead for Child Protection and Abuse Investigation, said:

“In recent years, one of the most significant developments in policing is our renewed focus on the power of data. Careful analysis of police-recorded crimes gives us a clearer understanding of the scale, nature, and evolving threat of child sexual abuse and exploitation, including group-based offending.

“Both reports published today highlight the full spectrum of threats—many of which remain largely unseen by the public. They challenge us to ask: are we addressing all areas of risk, not just those that attract political and media attention? And what must we do differently to ensure every child is protected?

 “Tackling CSAE demands a whole-system approach. Police, partners, and communities must work together to prevent harm, pursue offenders, and safeguard children—so they can thrive and grow into the adults they deserve to be.”

Anna Edmundson, Head of Policy at the NSPCC, said: “This new analysis brings into focus the worrying scale of child sexual abuse and exploitation, and the growing threat children are facing online. We must remember that behind each offence is a child, who deserves safety, support, and the chance to rebuild their life after abuse.

“It is vital that we continue to build a detailed picture of when and where these crimes are occurring, who is affected, and how policing and government can respond effectively.

“Alongside improving the data we already collect, we also need to deepen our understanding of how children and young people experience this form of harm. That’s why we want to see Government commission a national prevalence study covering all forms of sexual abuse and exploitation to go beyond police recorded crimes.”

Notes to Editors

• The National Analysis of Police-Recorded CSAE Crimes Report 2024 is published by the National centre for violence against women and girls and public protection | College of Policing. The Group-Based Offending Report 2024 is published by the Hydrant Programme The Hydrant Programme
• The reports provide the most comprehensive national picture of CSAE recorded by police across England and Wales.

• Last year, the National Analysis of Police-Recorded CSAE Crimes Report 2023 revealed:

• • 115,489 CSAE offences recorded in 2023.
  • Contact abuse accounted for 68% of cases, with familial abuse as the largest category.
  • Group-based offending represented around 5% of CSAE cases, often involving organised grooming gangs.

 

FAQs regarding the National Analysis of Police-Recorded CSAE Crimes Report 2022

FAQs

What is the National Analysis of Police-Recorded Child Sexual Abuse Crimes Report?                                                     

This third annual report provides a comprehensive picture of all police recorded Child Sexual Abuse & Exploitation (CSAE) crime. By focussing on all aspects of CSAE, we can get an idea as to the scale and reach of the offences, offenders and threats facing children.

To read the first report National Analysis of Police-Recorded Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Crimes Report 2022 | Vulnerability Knowledge and Practice Programme

Why is it so important?                                                                                                                                                                             

The National Analysis of Police-Recorded Child Sexual Abuse Crimes Report plays a vital role for the police, partners, professionals and the public. The report supports the right resources to be assigned to the right area to help prevent child abuse, and to pursue offenders. It also offers us a glimpse into how CSAE is changing in the modern world. For example, the increased role that digital and the internet plays. 

What is it telling us?                                                                                                                                                                               

The data tells us new and different things about the scale, nature and changing dynamics of recorded CSAE, the profile of those committing crimes, and the victims they target. The data also reframes some of the popular public narratives surrounding CSAE, helping people to understand where the most common contexts where reported abuse is taking place.

What impact do you hope this has?                                                                                                                                                       

Our aim is that the report will help keep children safe and address the issue of CSAE by encouraging police, partners, and the public to work together. We hope that the report will also encourage wider data and information sharing to get a more complete picture of CSAE. This will help everyone better identify victims and prevent CSAE, while hopefully going some way in stopping perpetrators reoffending. The findings supports policing and partners to consider whether the current responses reflect the changes in threat. Put simply, are we in the right spaces, and is there things we should be doing differently?

Has the methodology of adult offending changed?                                                                                                                         

Only in the increase of overarching reporting and wider trends regarding online offending. The family environment however remains one of the most common contexts which of abuse takes place in (26% of offences). A high proportion are non-recent reports, and it’s likely that a large number of current offences are not identified or reported. This is likely due to the hidden nature afforded by abuse in this context, the related control the perpetrator may have over the victim and their own ability and confidence to recognise and report abuse. It’s important to note that although the analysis gives us some clearer insights, due to the known under-reporting of abuse, further research is needed to complement and underpin the findings and continue to enrich our understanding on how offenders operate.

Why is data relating to suspects under 10 years not included?                                                                                                 

CSAE crimes committed by children have a perpetrator recorded between the age of 10 and 17 years. Under-10s are not included in this category, as they are below the age of criminal responsibility. Home Office crime recording rules require that these offences are recorded. However, specific outcome codes make it clear that the person involved is under the age of criminal responsibility and that no further action would be taken, as they cannot be charged with an offence.

How will it support/aid change to policing?                                                                                                                                   

We believe it will help police forces be more proactive when it comes to identifying and dealing with CSAE. CSAE is a national priority area for the police, so knowing where the main trends lie in reports will help police forces tailor their resources more accurately. And because the report is national rather that local, each police force can now get a wider picture, offering them valuable insights into adapting their approach to CSAE in an operational and strategic level and ask important questions such as;

• Are current CSAE strategies up to date?
• Are victims and perpetrators profiling correct?
• Are victims being supported in the right way?
• What are the rising threats to be aware of?
• What can be done to encourage crime reporting from seldom heard groups, such as LGBTQ groups, children with learning difficulties etc?

How can people use the report?                                                                                                                                                       

Partners, professionals and stakeholders can get a heads-up on what the key trends are in reported CSAE. Indeed, one or two of the findings in the report may be different to what these groups may have been expecting, particularly in the data uncovered for children offending against other children crime type. The fact that such a high proportion of offences are actually committed by children might prove surprising. Parents, meanwhile, can get some insight into the extent of rising crime types.

Is there more to do?                                                                                                                                                                               

Yes. This is an ongoing story. We plan to continue the journey by improving the quality and depth of our analysis, year-on-year.

Report specific questions

Q1: Why are CSAE offences increasing?

A: The rise reflects both increased reporting and growing online risks. Greater awareness, improved police recording, and industry reporting contribute to the increase, but CSAE remains heavily underreported.

Q2: What is driving the growth in online CSAE?

A: The growth in online CSAE is being driven by several converging factors. The evolution of technology and widespread use of social media platforms create increased opportunities for offenders, while features such as disappearing messages, livestreaming, and end-to-end encryption make detection and intervention harder.

At the same time, children are going online younger than ever, with access to personal devices becoming common in primary school and near universal among teenagers. This increases the window of vulnerability and exposes young people to risks they are not developmentally prepared to navigate.

We are also concerned about the impact of violent or extreme pornography, which is available online and can shape attitudes, normalise harmful behaviours, and contribute to coercive or abusive interactions particularly when accessed by children and young people.

Online CSAE now accounts for 42% of all recorded offences, and the combination of technological opportunity, offender adaptability, and early, often unsupervised access to online spaces continues to drive that growth.

Q3: Is the Online Safety Act – and Ofcom’s work enforcing it – going far enough and fast enough to keep children safe online?

A: We strongly welcome the Online Safety Act and the work Ofcom is doing to implement it. For the first time, platforms are being held responsible for the risks they create, and Ofcom is taking important steps including work to introduce  age verification for access to pornography.

However, despite this progress, the reality is that harmful content remains far too easy for children to access. Some platforms still use age assurance systems that are easy to bypass or ignore, and explicit or dangerous material continues to appear across social media, gaming and messaging platforms. Offenders adapt quickly, and the  response from tech providers, regulators, govt, law enforcement and wider partners needs to keep pace.

So while the Act provides a strong foundation, we need to go further and faster. That means stronger enforcement, more consistent and high-quality age assurance across all high-risk services, and more ambitious, even radical, safety-by-design measures. The internet is evolving quickly, and our protections must evolve just as rapidly if we are to truly safeguard children.

Q4: What are you doing to improve data quality, and how does the Data Quality Dashboard help?

A: Improving data quality is a major priority for us, because high-quality, consistent information is essential for understanding the scale of child sexual abuse and exploitation and for driving better operational decisions. We’re working closely with forces to strengthen recording practices, standardise definitions, and improve the completeness of key fields such as age, gender, ethnicity and offence characteristics.

A key part of this effort is the Data Quality Dashboard, which gives forces clear, transparent insight into the completeness and accuracy of their submissions. It highlights gaps, flags inconsistencies, and allows forces to track their progress over time. This has already helped identify areas where additional training or guidance is needed and supports forces to make targeted improvements.

While data quality is improving, we know there is more to do. We’re committed to making the dataset as reliable and comprehensive as possible so that policing, partners and policymakers can make informed decisions and better protect children.

Q5: How is policing responding to these trends?

A: Policing is investing significantly more resources into investigating online CSAE, including expanding specialist units, enhancing digital forensics capability, and improving the tools we use to identify both offenders and children at risk. We are also strengthening our data collection, working closely with technology companies to understand and disrupt new forms of harm as they emerge, and investing in partnerships including joint work on training and prevention to strengthen our collective ability to protect children.

However, this is an ever-growing and constantly evolving threat, and enforcement alone cannot keep pace. We need to do much more to prevent offending and victimisation before it occurs. That includes exploring radical solutions, from stronger safety-by-design measures and more effective technological safeguards to earlier intervention with those at risk of harmful behaviour, and better support and education for children and families. Our aim is not only to respond to these crimes, but to shift the system toward prevention so that fewer children are harmed in the first place.

Q6: What about child-on-child offending?

A: Half of perpetrators where age is known are aged 10–17. Many cases involve self-generated imagery and developmentally typical behaviours, but some are serious offences. Our approach focuses on diversionary and educational interventions wherever appropriate, reserving more formal criminal justice responses for the most serious cases or where behaviour is repeated or escalating.

However, there is a pressing need for greater investment and a more consistent national approach to harmful sexual behaviour. At present, support and intervention services are too often a local “patchwork quilt,” with significant variability in access, quality, and capacity. Preventing HSB requires joined-up, well-resourced early intervention supporting children who display concerning behaviour and ensuring families, schools, and professionals have the training and tools they need.

Q7: Are certain communities more affected?

A: Ethnicity data is currently incomplete, but we know that CSAE affects children and families in all communities. We are working to improve the collection of protected characteristic data so we can better understand and address any disparities. At present, however, gaps in data quality and availability mean we cannot confidently draw conclusions about disproportionality. Strengthening this evidence base is essential to ensure our response is equitable and informed by a full understanding of where risk and harm are concentrated.

Q8: What has been your approach since the Casey Review criticised the inference in last year’s report that white perpetrators account for the majority of offenders? Has anything changed?

A: We took the findings of the Casey Review extremely seriously and reviewed our approach in detail. As a result, we have adapted the way we display and present ethnicity data to make the level of data completion clearer and to show the impact this has when considering disproportionality. This year, we have been explicit that the dataset has significant gaps: only around 34% of victim and perpetrator records in this collection include ethnicity information. Due these limitations, we have avoided drawing any conclusions about disproportionality. The current data simply does not allow for robust or responsible interpretation. Our focus has been on improving transparency about what the data can and cannot tell us, while continuing to work with forces to strengthen data quality and completeness in future collections.

Q9: What is being done about emerging threats like sextortion and AI-generated abuse?

A: We are collaborating with the NCA and tech industry to tackle sextortion and AI-generated content. The Crime & Policing Bill will criminalise AI-generated CSA material.