More than 21,000 sex offences against children were recorded last year – the equivalent of 60 every day, police figures obtained by the NSPCC suggest.
The children’s charity said the figures, covering England and Wales, were “shocking”, but the true extent of the problem was “far worse”.
The figures have increased by 660 cases compared with the year before, although for 2007/2008 only 42 forces responded.
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