NSPCC reveals 508 sex attacks on Lancashire children (From Blackpool Citizen)

NSPCC reveals 508 sex attacks on Lancashire children

10:10am Monday 25th January 2010

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By Neil Docking »

LANCASHIRE children were the victims of more than 500 sex attacks last year, it was revealed today.

The figures, released by Lancashire police to the NSPCC under the Freedom of Information Act, show at least one youngster becomes a victim each day.

Some 508 offences were recorded in the county against people aged under 18.

Of the victims, 102 were aged 10 or younger, seven were aged three and two were just two years-old.

Community leaders said the figures were ‘shocking’.

They backed NSPCC calls for police to publish a detailed breakdown of the offences every year.

Janet Anderson, MP for Rossendale and Darwen, said she would today put down a motion in Parliament, seeking Government support for the NSPCC’s calls.

Yesterday Home Secretary, Alan Johnson hailed the test of ‘Sarah’s Law’ - where parents are allowed to check if anyone with regular access to their children has a child sex offence conviction - a success.

It now looks set to be rolled out across the country.

Mrs Anderson said: “I feel really strongly about this.

"In the early 90s I introduced a Private Members’ Bill for a national register of paedophiles, but the Tory Government would not accept it and it was one of the first things we did after coming into power.

“I have thought this needs to be done for a long time.

"Parents need this information to protect their children.

"The rights of children should take precedence over the human rights of paedophiles.

"If we are going to tackle this properly we have a right to know what the figures are.”

Burnley Council Leader, Gordon Birtwistle, said he had been extremely shocked by the scale of abuse revealed in the figures.

He said: “Anybody who can sexually abuse a child is depraved.

“I think the Government should provide the information every year and I think they should provide the names of those people.

"People these days need to know if these people are living and working in their communities.”

Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans described the figures as ‘staggeringly worrying.’

He said: “I agree with the NSPCC that these figures need to be published every year and we need more detail as to what founded accusations there were. The police should make a statement as to what action is being taken.”

The Home Office's annual crime report, which shows there was a total of 51,4884 for all sexual offences in 2008-09, including both adults and children. Government only splits the figure to show those over or under 13.

Therefore the NSPCC asked every police force for a breakdown of the stats for under 18s.

The FOI response reveals children across the country were victims of sex crimes, including rape, gross indecency and incest, on 21,618 occasions.

The NSPCC said it would not reveal details of sex offences from other areas as it did not comparisons being made between forces.

Each day an average of nearly 60 sex offences against children were recorded by police in England and Wales last year.

But the NSPCC said that many more cases were going unreported as children were afraid to speak out, and argued that a more detailed breakdown was necessary to put in place better treatment and prevent more abuse.

Phillip Noyes, NSPCC director of strategy and development, said: “We know that as most abuse goes unreported, such figures can only ever give an indication of the true extent of the problem.

“Many children do not speak out about the sexual abuse they have suffered because they are scared they will not be believed.”

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