Why can't police log every offender's ethnicity?

Police struggle because suspects may not cooperate with self-identification, or their identity may not be known, making 100% accurate logging difficult.

What percentage of child abuse cases record offender ethnicity?

Last year, only 42% of child sexual abuse and exploitation cases in England and Wales had the offender's ethnicity recorded by police.

Are social media platforms responsible for online child abuse?

Child protection leaders criticize some social media companies for not doing enough to prevent child sexual abuse, despite possessing preventative technologies.

Home / Crime and Justice / Police Struggle to Log All Offender Ethnicities

Police Struggle to Log All Offender Ethnicities

11 Dec, 2025

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Summary

Only 42% of child abuse cases recorded offender ethnicity last year.
Child protection leaders cite challenges in self-identification.
Online abuse cases surge, social media platforms criticized.

Police Struggle to Log All Offender Ethnicities

Law enforcement agencies in England and Wales are encountering difficulties in consistently recording the ethnicity of every offender. While the Home Secretary advocates for this data collection, child protection program leaders express doubts about achieving 100% accuracy, citing instances where offender identity is unknown or suspects are uncooperative with self-identification requests.

The available data reveals that last year, only 42% of child sexual abuse cases included recorded offender ethnicity. The majority of recorded cases (86.9%) involved white British suspects. These challenges arise as online child sexual abuse is identified as the fastest-growing threat, with cases more than doubling in recent years.

Social media platforms are facing scrutiny for their perceived lack of proactive measures in protecting children online. Experts suggest that platforms possess the technology to prevent many of these harms but are not fully implementing it. Discussions are underway regarding potential regulatory measures, including considering bans on social media access for individuals under 16.