SURREY Police says they take reports of child abuse “extremely seriously” after figures showed the number of sex offences against children in the county rose by 51 per cent last year.

As reported in the Herald last week, a Freedom of Information request by children’s charity NSPCC revealed the number of child sex offences recorded by Surrey Police in 2016/17 increased from 561 to 846 the previous year.

Detective Superintendent Juliet Parker said: “We take all reports of child sex offences extremely seriously and work hard to ensure that our officers are proactively identifying and investigating this type of abuse.

“Surrey Police have made a considerable investment in protecting the most vulnerable in our communities, including children that are at risk of, or have suffered sexual abuse.

“Over the past three years, the force have invested in additional resources including supervisers in specialist safeguarding teams and we continue to work robustly with partner agencies.

“The increased figures highlight how important it is to continue with this vital work, and we encourage anyone with concerns to report them to us by calling 101, or in an emergency 999.”

Across the UK, figures were up by 15 per cent to 64,667, with an offence recorded on average every eight minutes.

The NSPCC believes the increase could be due to police forces improving their recording methods; survivors feeling more confident in disclosing abuse following high-profile cases; and online groomers becoming a significant problem, with predators able to reach hundreds of children.