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SUSPECTED online child sex offenders are on the rise across Bedfordshire, with numbers almost doubling in just two years according to the latest figures.

In 2014, a total of 68 people were suspected by police of downloading and distributing indecent images of children. But by 2016, that figure increased by almost 100 per cent to 107.

READ MORE: Luton man guilty of downloading indecent images of children at the most serious level

Over the past three years, the combined total of online child sex offenders identified by the police stands at 246, according to the figures obtained by the BBC in a Freedom of Investigation request.

This increase is evident in the wider eastern region, with a jump from 758 in 2014 to 2,179 last year.

In light of the rising numbers, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is urging for forces across the nation to hit these crimes hard with specialist units.

READ MORE: Bedfordshire repeat offender jailed again for child porn images

An NSPCC spokesperson told BoS: "Downloading and distributing child abuse images is an abhorrent crime. Each picture is a crime scene involving a young victim who has been abused and whose suffering is compounded every time that image is passed around online.

"The proliferation of these appalling images is a major and growing problem which needs industry, government and law enforcement to tackle in unison."

The NSPCC wants to see a specialist digital child abuse unit in every police force, trained to deal with sexual and other online offences against children."

A spokeswoman for Bedfordshire Police said: "Bedfordshire Police has a dedicated unit to tackling online child sexual abuse.

"The Internet Child Abuse Investigation Team (ICAIT) is committed to investigating indecent image offences and works with partners to identify offending and take action against those responsible for viewing and making such images.

"Offenders may think that viewing these images is not causing any direct harm but that is quite simply not the case. Although they may not be directly abusing these children, in order for these images to be created, children across the world have been forced to undergo horrific abuse for the gratification of these individuals - so it is far from a victimless crime.

"The development of the unit and our capabilities in tackling this sickening type of abuse is reflected in the increase in the number of people arrested, and we are committed to continuing to clamp down on online child sex offenders."

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Number of suspected child sex offenders in Bedfordshire almost ... - Bedfordshire News