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By Nick Griffiths Crime reporter

Last updated at 11:35, Friday, 28 December 2012

REPORTS of crimes involving social networking sites have gone up dramatically in Cumbria in four years.

New figures show there were 46 offences in the last year where sites such as Facebook and Twitter were a factor, compared to just three in 2008.

Fourteen charges were made in connection with this years crimes. There were no charges linked to the three offences four years before. Details of the offences have not been revealed.

Across the country complaints about crimes involving social networking sites went up by 780 per cent over the same period, leading to about 650 people being charged last year.

Detective Chief Inspector Lee Johnson, of Cumbria police, stressed 46 was still a very low level of crime but added it was no surprise that numbers had gone up in recent years.

Everybody now has got a smart phone, he said. It is the norm, therefore its no surprise that these will be used to commit crime.

It can be fraud. We know social media is used for grooming young people, it can also be used for co-ordinating criminal activity.

Criminals will talk to each other using Facebook and Twitter.

Originally posted here:
Big increase in social networking crimes in Cumbria