Guernsey Police Report Significant Increase in Sextortion Incidents

Guernsey Police has noted a “sharp rise” in sextortion cases, with the island’s force confirming that eight such incidents have been investigated locally during 2024 to date. A spokesperson for the force defined this crime as “people being forced into paying money or meeting another financial demand after an offender has threatened to release compromising or indecent photos of them”. While individuals of any demographic can become targets, the spokesperson further noted that 91% of all cases reported to the Internet Watch Foundation in the UK in 2023 involved boys aged 14 to 18. This increase in incidents aligns with an alert issued by the National Crime Agency in April to all schools across the UK, which highlighted the growing prevalence of sextortion and its associated risks. Consequently, police personnel are actively engaged in educating students on the island about sextortion and strategies to prevent victimization. Guernsey Police has also disseminated the following advice to help individuals avoid becoming victims: Laura Simpson, a digital safety development officer, stated: “This crime plays on the feelings of guilt and shame, which makes it easy to isolate teenagers. Through our schools programme, we have shared information and advice about avoiding sextortion, and would encourage anyone who may have been victim of this type of crime to report it.” For further updates, connect with BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook. Story proposals can be submitted to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk. This material is Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. Details regarding our external linking policy are available.