Over 500 child sexual abuse image crimes were reported to Warwickshire Police in the past year, Home Office data has revealed.

The NSPCC is urging the UK Government to ensure children are "better protected" in private messaging environments as 3,801 crimes were reported in the West Midlands in 2023/24.

A separate Freedom of Information request submitted by the NSPCC to police forces across the UK showed that of the offences last year where law enforcement recorded the platform used by perpetrators, exactly half (50 per cent) took place on Snapchat and a quarter on Meta products – 11 per cent on Instagram, seven per cent on Facebook and six per cent on WhatsApp. 

In Warwickshire, 522 child sexual abuse image crimes were reported last year.

In response, a joint letter from charities, including the NSPCC, Marie Collins Foundation, Lucy Faithfull Foundation, Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse, and Barnardo's, has been sent to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology Peter Kyle.

The letter expresses collective concern regarding Ofcom's final Illegal Harms Code of Practice published in December 2024. 

The charities argue that as it stands, children will not be protected from the worst forms of abuse on private messaging services under Ofcom's plans, despite this being a core aim of the Online Safety Act.

Ofcom has stated that user-to-user services are only required to remove illegal content where it is 'technically feasible'. 

This exception creates an "unacceptable loophole", allowing some services to "avoid delivering the most basic protections for children", the NSPCC said.

Chris Sherwood, NSPCC Chief Executive, said: "It is deeply alarming to see thousands of child sexual abuse image crimes continue to be recorded by police in the West Midlands. 

"These offences cause tremendous harm and distress to children, with much of this illegal material being repeatedly shared and viewed online. 

"It is an outrage that in 2025 we are still seeing a blatant disregard from tech companies to prevent this illegal content from proliferating on their sites.

"Having separate rules for private messaging services lets tech bosses off the hook from putting robust protections for children in place. 

"This enables crimes to continue to flourish on their platforms even though we now have the Online Safety Act.

"The Government must set out how they will take a bold stand against abuse on private messaging services and hold tech companies accountable for keeping children safe, even if it requires changes to the platform's design – there can be no excuse for inaction or delay. "