CYBER links were found in 78 cases of child sex cases in the county – including two rapes.

The youngest victims were two tots aged just three and the eldest aged 16.

The age most targeted was 13-year-olds with 24 victims, those aged 14 with 14 youngsters targeted, followed by 10-year-olds with 12 of them lured by paedophiles.

This equates to 1.5 incidents a day in Cumbria according to a Freedom of Information request.

In the past year there has been one crime of abuse through prostitution or pornography, one of exposure or voyeurism, on of rape of a girl and a boy, one count of sexual activity with a child with a mental disorder 25 incidents of sexual activity with a child under 13, 39 of sexual activity with a child under 16 and nine of sexual grooming.

It became mandatory on April 1, 2015 for police to "cyber flag" sex abuse cases with an online element.

Detective Inspector Jenny Beattie said: "Cumbria police work hard to ensure victims of any crime have the confidence to report incidents to the police. It is encouraging to see that these young people have been confident enough to come forward to help bring offenders to justice.

"These figures also reflect the proactive policing tactics that are undertaken to find those who commit crimes online – something which was enhanced by the introduction of the dedicated Digital Media Investigation Unit to the Constabulary in April of this year.

"All reports of a sexual offence are dealt with sensitively and professionally and by specially trained officers. Anyone wishing to report an offence should contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111."

Children's Commissioner for England Anne Longfield said: "Sadly, these concerning figures may be just the tip of the iceberg, because children rarely tell someone that they are being abused – often through fear of the consequences or because they cannot put their experiences into words.

"Successful police operations show that online sexual offenders use sophisticated methods to target, trick and groom children, and may target hundreds of children at a time.

"The internet is increasingly integral to children's lives and they need to be educated about the risks, as well as how to report suspicious behaviour."

The National Police Chiefs' Council says internet-related abuse was one of the factors behind an estimated 80 per cent increase in the reporting of child sex offences in the past four years.

Chief Constable Simon Bailey from the council said: "More research is needed to understand these trends and whether they reflect greater confidence among victims to come forward, better identification by professionals, or an actual increase in offending."

Peter Wanless, NSPCC chief executive, said: "It's clear that a large volume of sexual assaults and rapes of children have involved the use of the internet – for example by grooming victims before abusing them offline, or live-streaming the abuse.

"We know grooming is on the rise because children are increasingly telling our ChildLine service how they are being targeted online.

"Predatory adults posing as children try to meet them or blackmail them into meeting up or performing sexual acts on webcams, which obviously terrifies them and can leave some feeling suicidal."

Mr Wanless said he hoped the statistics highlighted how police were under "increasing pressure" to combat online offences.

He said: "We have to ensure they have the resources and training to make them fit for tackling crime in the 21st century. And the government must make mental health support available to every child who has endured abuse."

The Home Office says an offence should be flagged as having been committed online when the reporting officer believes that, on the balance of probability, the offence was committed, in full or in part, through a computer, computer network or other computer-enabled device, such as smartphones or tablets. This includes sending or receiving emails, the use of social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter or chat rooms and messaging services.

Police this week issued a warning over chilling tricks used by paedophiles to contact children on Facebook.

Officers said they had received an increase in reports of children being sent X-rated pictures by people posing as youngsters. They pretend to be a young person and befriending children online. They are urging youngsters to be absolutely sure that they know who they are making friends with on social media.

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