Police report a sharp rise in dating-app sexual assault in Greater Manchester
- Dramatic increase in serious sexual assault related to two main dating apps, Tinder and Grindr, has been reported
- Greater Manchester amongst the top in the country for dating-app related crime
- Top Lib Dem: "The numbers in Manchester are distressingly high”
Police in England have linked over 500 crimes across the country to the use of dating apps Tinder and Grindr, including murder, rape and child abuse, a Freedom of Information enquiry has revealed.
Greater Mancehster was amongst the highest, with 58 incidents being linked to the dating apps.
Liberal Democrat councillor, John Leech, who revealed the statistics to The NQ, stressed his concerns saying: “I fear that these statistics are actually just the beginning of a wider issue surrounding a lack of sexual and relationship education."
Of the 28 incidents related to Grindr, 4 resulted in rape, with a further ten other sexual offences. Theft, non-sexual violence and drug trafficking were also reported.
Of the 30 reported Tinder incidents, a much higher number of 13 resulted in rape, with other violent offences making up a further 15.
The former Withington MP, Mr Leech, added: “I am extremely concerned to see that Manchester has one of the highest numbers of incidents, and in what I would desperately like to be seen as a safe and welcoming city."
these numbers are distressingly high.
Across the country, officers reported at least 162 sexual offences, including 63 rapes, linked to the two apps, which are used by more than 60 million people.
Tinder launched as a smartphone app in 2012 and Grindr, used largely by gay and bisexual men, in 2009.
What do you think of these figures? Should the police be doing more to help tackle sexual assault, and how do you think this could be done? Let us know in the comments: