UK sex offenders may have to tell police about social media and dating accounts | Police
Convicted sex offenders will be forced to report details of any dating apps and social media accounts to police or face up to five years in prison, under plans unveiled by Shabana Mahmood.
In a move aimed at helping stem an explosion in targeted attacks using websites, the home secretary said the “full power of the state” would be used to crack down on online abusers.
there was 70,052 registered sex offenders living in the police Force areas in England and Wales by the end of March 2024 – equivalent to one offender for every 763 people aged 10 and over.
Almost one in five victims of sexual crimes committed by strangers are targeted online, according to National Crime Agency statistics. Previously, police did not have the ability to monitor the activities of known sex offenders online.
Keir Starmer is set to unveil the full strategy to halve violence against women and girls within a decade on Thursday, after facing criticism over delays in its publication.
Under new regulations, registered sex offenders will be required to notify police if they open new social media and dating app accounts or move to a new job.
Police can use this information to monitor and increase surveillance of predators looking for opportunities to re-offend. The changes will be made as secondary legislation to the Sexual Offenses Act 2003.
If police consider an offender’s online activity puts them at risk of re-offending, officers may seek a sexual harm prevention order to restrict their internet activity, including banning social media and dating profiles.
Under the new regulations, criminals will also be required to provide police with more personal information and maintain their internet history to prove to police that they have complied with restrictions.
A new online policing team, backed by funding of around £2 million, was announced last week and will be tasked with using undercover and intelligence techniques to tackle the online activities of sex offenders and deviants.
Mahmood said: “For too long these crimes have been accepted as a fact of life. This is not good enough. The government will use the full power of the state to crack down on abusers and stop them in their tracks. Rapists, sex offenders and abusers will have nowhere to hide.”
Andrea Simon, director of the Coalition to End Violence Against Women, welcomed the move and called for existing violence against women and girls guidance to be made mandatory for tech platforms “with strong consequences” for those who break the rules in the government’s new strategy.
“Online sexual abuse has long been minimized by the justice system and technology platforms, leaving victims frustrated and with nowhere to go, and perpetrators free to harm women with no consequences,” he said.
Further developments will see changes made to NHS services across England to better support survivors of sexual violence and abuse.
Referral services for victims will be introduced in every region of England by 2029, with the aim of connecting them to specialist help through their GP.
The initiative, called Steps to Safety, will also train GP staff to better deal with domestic abuse and sexual violence.
Ministers also announced up to £50m to help survivors of child sexual abuse receive specialist care.
The £50m investment to help child victims will be used to expand a ‘children’s home’ model, which houses all care, treatment support and advocacy in one place, where children only need to share their experiences once and are supported by trained staff who understand trauma.
There is currently one children’s home in north London but this will be expanded to all NHS areas in England.
Measures previously announced as part of the cross-government strategy included the deployment of specialist rape and sexual offenses investigators to every police force and a £19 million funding boost to councils to provide safe housing for victims of domestic violence.
Survivor organizations filed super complaints against police forces on Monday for “inhumane” delays in investigating sexual offenses, as research shows the number of investigations lasting more than three years has increased.
