Child cruelty and neglect offences in the East of England have more than doubled over the last five years, the NSPCC has revealed.
There were 906* child cruelty and neglect offences recorded by police in the region in 2017/18, up from 340 in 2012/13.
Reports to the police included extreme cases of when a parent or carer deliberately neglected, assaulted, abandoned or exposed their child to serious harm.
To raise awareness of child neglect – the most common type of abuse affecting children in the UK – the NSPCC has launched its ‘Light For Every Childhood’ Christmas Appeal.
Last night [Mon 3 Dec], the Houses of Parliament and BT Tower become the latest UK landmarks to show their support by lighting up in the charity’s trademark green.
Across the UK police recorded 16,939 child cruelty and neglect offences
in 2017/18, up from 7,965 in 2012/13.
The amount of police offences is mirrored by the number of calls made to the NSPCC helpline – totalling 19,937 last year about children suffering neglect – with three quarters referred urgently to police or children’s services.
One NSPCC helpline practitioner recalls a recent referral she made to the police.
