Police in UK Warn About Dating Apps After Serial Killer Conviction (betanews.com)

Mark Wilson, writing for BetaNews: Police are warning people who use dating sites and dating apps to take extra precautions to ensure their safety. The advice comes after serial killer Stephen Port who contacted his victims through apps such as Grindr and Gaydar. While people making use of dating services have always been warned to take safety precautions, police are concerned that sexual predators are increasingly using such sites and apps as a way of finding potential victims. The UK's National Crime Agency has noticed an alarming increase in the number of people reporting cases of rape after meeting someone through a dating site or app. In 2009 the number was just 33, while in 2014 it had jumped to 184. Clearly things such changes to the reporting of sexual assault need to be factored in, as do considerations such as whether the number of reported incidents represents an increase in actual incidents in real terms.

Comments

Also..

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

They should also warn about the dangers of meeting people at bars, parties, friend's homes, outdoor areas, malls, indoor areas, businesses, parks, playgrounds, movie theaters, civic centers, post offices, forests, etc etc etc.

Re:Also..

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

Secondly, its difficult for a predator who looks rats to get a girl into their home

Gee whiz, I forgot that most rapists and predators and bad people look "rats" or are unattractive.

The UK Police should have just put out a PSA saying, "Only date attractive people! You have nothing to fear from attractive people because none of them have ever done anything bad."

Re:Reasonable Precautions

[Anonymous Coward]

That's illegal in the UK. That's illegal in the UK. Even assault sporks and big pencils are banned there

Stop reading the Daily Mail.