Facebook and apps it owns were used in more than 50 per cent of online grooming cases where Surrey Police disclosed which method predators used, a Freedom of Information request by the NSPCC has revealed.

In the first nine months of a new offence of Sexual Communication with a Child, there were 17 offences recorded in Surrey. Of those, police revealed what platform was used in 31 cases – with groomers using Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp in 17 (54.8 per cent) of those cases, and Facebook being the most-recorded site overall.

Explaining why there were more ‘offences’ than ‘cases’ in Surrey, a NSPCC spokesman told the Herald sometimes groomers use more than one method to contact their victim, adding in some offences there may be multiple victims.

Nationally, the NSPCC’s FOI request to police forces revealed in the first nine months of the new Sexual Communication with a Child offence, there were 1,628 crimes recorded in England and Wales, with officers revealing what platform was used in 956 cases.

Of those, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp were used 52 per cent of the time, slightly below Surrey.

The youngest victim recorded was aged just two years old. In Surrey, the youngest victim was aged 11.

It comes as part of the NSPCC’s ‘Wild West Web’ campaign, calling on “Sherriff” Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, to bring in a new law to keep children safe online.

Peter Wanless, NSPCC chief executive, said: “Facebook has shown it is happy to use data for commercial purposes, but has failed to harness data in a way that can be used to prevent grooming.

“Mr Hancock could be the person who makes the internet a safer place, for every child now and in the future. We hope he seizes the chance to do that.”