Police are investigating dozens of ‘virtual reality’ crimes as serious as rape and threats to kill, new figures show.
Multiple forces across England and Wales have launched investigations into crimes related to virtual reality as more people turn to the immersive world of gaming.
Figures released under Freedom of Information show that crimes including rape, threats to kill, child sexual offences, stalking and even ‘violence against the person’ are being probed, even though many of the alleged offences took place in a computer-generated environment rather than the real world.
The figures show that at least five forces have investigated virtual reality linked offences in the last year.
The development comes after the Mail revealed earlier this year that a police force in the UK was investigating a rape in the metaverse for the first time.
The figures show that at least five forces have investigated virtual reality linked offences in the last year (Stock Image)
Chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners Donna Jones (pictured) said the growth of online harm has been ‘really concerning’. She warned parents to be ‘alive’ to what their children are exposed to
A girl under the age of 16 went to police last year saying she had been gang raped by strangers in a virtual reality game.
Although the victim did not suffer any injures as there was no physical attack, officers decided to investigate as she was assessed as suffering the same psychological and emotional trauma as someone who has been raped in the real world.
New figures show that further offences connected to virtual reality gaming have since been reported to police in Cambridgeshire, West Mercia, Northamptonshire, West Midlands and West Yorkshire.
West Mercia Police received the most reports linked to virtual reality gaming, with 17 offences including arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence, making or distributing ‘indecent photographs or pseudo- photographs of children’ and assault.
Although two of those cases related to residential burglaries when virtual reality handsets were stolen from properties.
Officers only brought charges in relation to one case of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence.
Northamptonshire Police have investigated four crimes relating to virtual reality including threats to kill, disclosing private sexual images including photographs and videos to cause distress, stalking involving fear of violence and harassment without violence
Last year West Yorkshire recorded ‘crimes occurring in virtual reality’ of ‘violence against the person’ and ‘sexual offences’.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (centre) walks with police officers from the West Midlands Police Force. The force recorded three ‘crimes occurring in virtual reality’ since 2021 – although no charges were brought
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Experts warned that ‘predators don’t just seek to prey on children and the vulnerable in the real world’
Cambridgeshire Police also investigated three cases including a sexual offence.
West Midlands Police has recorded three offences since 2021 including harassment, ‘taking, making or distributing indecent photographs or pseudo- photographs, of children’ and ‘causing or inciting sexual activity with a child aged 13 -15’.
Due to ‘evidential difficulties’, no charges have been brought by the force.
In total, 29 offences linked to virtual reality gaming have been recorded, but many forces were unable to provide details, warning that their results may not be accurate because ‘virtual reality’ is not marked as a specific category in crime recording.
Earlier this year Interpol warned that virtual reality crimes ‘could become a major issue’ for forces as more people turn to an immersive world of gaming.
National Crime Agency boss Graeme Biggar has also said law enforcers need to prepare for such incidents to be treated as crimes because of the real-life impact on victims.
He warned people can already ‘feel a physical manifestation’ of an attack while wearing a haptic suit – which allows a wearer to sense actions carried out in virtual reality, adding: ‘If you are in the Metaverse wearing a haptic suit where you can sense what is happening to and then you are sexually assaulted, raped or murdered, even if you are not wearing a haptic suit is that ok?’
Yesterday Chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners Donna Jones said: ‘There are now games in which you can physically and sexually assault someone in the virtual world.
National Crime Agency boss Graeme Biggar (pictured) said law enforcers need to prepare for such incidents to be treated as crimes because of the real-life impact on victims as they can already ‘feel a physical manifestation’ of an attack while wearing a haptic suit
‘The growth of online harm particularly to children over the last three to four years has been really concerning and now the technology of AI and virtual reality has presented offenders with new opportunities, especially as more and more families across Britain get VR headsets for their children.
‘Parents need to be alive to what children can be exposed to, particularly of a sexual nature.
‘Predators don’t just seek to prey on children and the vulnerable in the real world.
‘Whilst the Government has brought in the Online Harms Bill, that was really a starter for 10, because the growth of AI and the virtual reality world means that this legislation will need to be constantly under review.’