MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The level of reported violence in the United Kingdom related to online dating has risen more than four times over the past five years, the broadcaster Sky News reported Monday citing police figures it had obtained.
According to the figures, the number of such crimes increased from 140 in 2011, to 676 in 2016.
Also, the number of sexual crimes in the United Kingdom rose from 14 to 106 over the same period, according to the same reports, adding that the number of violent attacks surged from 29 to 240.
The broadcaster also found that surging violence connected to online dating involved the use of two major applications in this area, Tinder and Grindr.
A total of 2,054 offenses related to online dating have been registered by police over the past five years, the broadcaster noted.
The majority of online dating resources provide their users with safety tips, the reports noted. A Grindr spokesperson told Sky News that this platform was committed to creating a safe environment for its users and cooperates with the authorities to prevent violent behavior.
The United Kingdom's National Crime Agency (NCA) which has been monitoring crimes related to online dating, told the broadcaster that over the past five years, the number of reported rapes in the country has risen sixfold.
"We know that only about 16% of all stranger rape cases and sexual assaults in general are reported to the police so we know that we are only dealing with the tip of the iceberg of the problem so that's why we're keeping a good eye on it," NCA's head of national investigative capabilities, Sean Sutton, said.
The broadcaster noted that around seven million UK residents are currently registered on dating sites.
