Crimes against the young on the rise in South Yorkshire

The new average figure — for the nine months to September — repesents nine per cent of the region’s total crime, where it had previously stood at seven per cent.

Deputy Chief Con Tim Forber said there were a combination of factors, including the ability of officers, schools, social workers and the wider public to spot signs of crimes against youngsters.

This is believed to be partly a consequence of the 2014 Jay report revealing to the nation the level of child sexual expoitation in Rotherham.

Mr Forber said: “Our officers are getting more adept at capturing the voice of children and identifying offences against children.

“This type of work has increased. We absolutely expect it to continue to oncrease.

“The moment you think that we have got this cracked, we have put this investment in, training in, is the moment you fall behind.

“We will never stop continuing to re-examine how we do this, to think about the future, to make sure we have got the capability and capacity to protect children.”

Mr Forber paid tribute to the area’s officials who support children who have been victims of crimes — and often have caseloads of 15 of more each.

“The people who do this work are exposed to some dreadful things,” he told Monday’s (7) public accountability board meeting.

“The stress of being responsible for that as a frontline officer is huge. It’s a really difficult area of work. Our staff are brilliant. They are working extremely hard.”