More than 100 cases of child porn were recorded in Cyprus in the first five months of 2020 which is on track to becoming a record year for such offences, philenews reports.
In the 12 months of 2019 there were a total of 161 child porn cases. There have already been 102 in from January to the end of May 2020.
Police cyber crime unit head Andreas Anastiades told philenews that the increase was in part attributable to the lockdown. It also reflects better mechanisms to track down offenders.
Most of the cases here concern Cyprus. Cooperation with Europol and Interpol has given the local force additional tools, while there has been progress in gaining the trust of the general public with more and more youngsters contacting authorities to report cases, he said.
The numbers reported in the media concern both complaints filed with police and cases which police were able to trace from the digital footprint following a tip off from international organisations.
The data since 2013
In 2013 there were just 23 child porn cases. In 2014 the number quadrupled to 106, rising further in 2015 to 154. There were 126 cases in 2016, 130 in 2017, 133 in 2018 and 161 in 2019.
