Midlands police record thousands of child cruelty offences during pandemic
Thousands of child cruelty offences were recorded across the West Midlands during the first year of the coronavirus pandemic, figures show.
It comes after the nation was captured by the tragic story of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, who was killed by his stepmother and father who were later jailed.
Home Office data showed West Midlands Police recorded 7,060 crimes in 2020-2021 – with Staffordshire Police logging 74 child cruelty offences.
Both figures are down on the previous year where West Midlands Police recorded 7,477 offences,whilst Staffordshire recorded slightly more at 78.
Pierre Hyman, senior policy officer at the NSPCC, called for Government investment to strengthen safeguarding and ensure authorities work together to tackle the issue.
He added: "To see year after year the number of child cruelty offences rise so dramatically is concerning, particularly following the tragic case of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes.
"We have similarly seen a rise in calls to our helpline around child abuse and neglect. We need political leadership on ensuring child abuse victims are supported in the criminal justice system."
Across England and Wales, child cruelty offences leapt by 12 per cent to a record 25,000 last year, despite authorities struggling to identify some of those at risk amid national lockdowns and school closures.
Nationally, offences have almost quadrupled since 2012-13, with forces recording more than 130,000 crimes in less than a decade. Of those, 38,984 were logged by West Midlands Police, while Staffordshire Police recorded 826.
The Government said the dramatic national increase in offences is likely to have been driven by improvements in recording, rather than in instances of child cruelty.
The National Police Chiefs' Council's lead for child protection, deputy chief constable Ian Critchley, said police worked closely with other authorities to tackle child cruelty but said there were "complex challenges" to overcome.
He added: "We encourage anyone who believes a child is being abused to report their concerns, no matter how small they seem."
A Government spokeswoman said the police were expected to use all powers available to them to investigate and record child abuse. She said a national review was underway and a targeted inspection was launched following the murder of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes.
Last year, the Government provided £11 million to the See, Hear, Respond programme, which aimed to support vulnerable young people during the pandemic. It also made £1.8 million available to the NSPCC to expand and promote its helpline.
