A CUMBRIAN conference on online child safety has reported a significant increase in concerns during the pandemic. The It s Not OK’s virtual Online Safety Conference took place this week and was set up by the NSPCC and Cumbria Child Safeguarding Partnership, to report on the nature and scale of online offences against children. Speakers included Cumbria Constabulary and a number of other organisations. Detective inspector Ian Harwood, Cumbria Constabulary, said: “With indecent images of children, 95 per cent of those we deal with aren t known to law enforcement prior to us taking action – either offenders or victims. “In 2020 the number of referrals went up to 132, from 125 the year before, not a massive leap but still significant.”