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London has seen a 119% rise in the number of online or internet-enabled crimes from 2019 to 2023.

A £170,000 investment in a helpline against online abuse has been announced by the Mayor of London.

The investment in The Cyber Helpline will be used to help victims of cybercrime, digital fraud and online harm.

The hotline, which has already helped 600,000 people nationally since 2020, will now have a dedicated London team.

The service works via an online chatbot that records and processes reports of abuse and harassment, as well as advice on the broad range of other online misuses.

These reports are then passed onto the London team to individually assess cases and offer free expert advice for victims across the phone and email.

Across London, the number of online/internet-enabled crimes has risen by 119% between April 2019 and April 2023.

The first major increase was seen immediately after the coronavirus lockdowns.

Concerns have previously been raised on the lack of reporting online abuse and crime, with a recent national survey suggesting just over half of victims report their crime to police or Action Fraud.

It is unclear if this is down to a lack of confidence, or the lack of clarity on how to report.

Support for women and girls experiencing online harassment

The Mayor has also emphasised the importance of online safety measures as part of his Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy.

An Ofcom report revealed women are more likely to be negatively affected by hateful and trolling content, as well as feeling a lack of confidence speaking about these experiences.

Women and girls are also disproportionately affected by specific crimes such as intimate image abuses like revenge porn and artificial intelligence deep fakes, tactics usually used in domestic abuse cases to coerce and control victims.

The project aims to bridge the gap between experiencing and reporting crime, by providing clarity on the nuance of online harassment and cybercrime, as well as enforcing the new Online Safety Act.