Detectives said that there were no links between the individuals convicted for indecent images of children over that time.
The Guernsey Press has already reported on five individuals so far this calendar year who have been sentenced for possessing, making and/or distributing indecent images.
Police said that in many cases, they received referrals from the UK National Crime Agency, which had detected anyone downloading or uploading indecent images of any category.
‘Sometimes it is as simple as National Crime Agency resources,’ said DCI Ian Tanner.
‘Previously the NCA had a backlog.
‘They employed more staff to clear that backlog, which then meant we had an increase in cases. But also sometimes there’s not necessarily a specific reason for it.
‘What we’re not seeing is any link with the cases.
‘All of the referrals we had from the National Crime Agency have been independent cases. If there are any links we would be able to identify these early on, but there’s no link.’
He added that the National Crime Agency was now better able to detect such online crimes. And combined with Guernsey Police Intelligence Unit and Digital Forensic Unit, locally officers were also getting better at identifying who owns the IP address.
DS Marcus Lewis, head of the Digital Forensic Unit, said that the technology being used was improving.
‘While it feels like it’s all the time that people are going through court, it’s the catch-up by the National Crime Agency on top of the tools and capabilities that are now available out there, improvement in technology and the use of AI to help with other things,’ he said.
‘It feels like there’s more but I think we’re just becoming aware of it sooner.’
They agreed that support available for victims through organisations such as Victim Support, or Willow House, the Sexual Assault Referral Centre, meant that local victims of sex crimes were feeling better able to report incidents.
Both organisations allow individuals to speak about the issue before they feel ready to report to police.
They can have evidence taken in case they wish to prosecute at a later stage.
‘We’ve seen some high case reports that have gone to successful prosecutions recently, which hopefully gives the community a sense that they can report these issues, and they will be treated seriously, no matter who the offender might be,’ said DI Thomas Lowe.
‘There’s more support and resources out there for victims, when previously they might not have felt ready to be supported.’