Shocking figures have shown that almost 500 children may have been groomed by paedophiles.
The figures also show that 70 paedophiles also attempted to meet up with children in the Merseyside area.
Merseyside Police figures show that 469 reports of possible grooming related offences were received in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
There were 70 allegations made against suspects who allegedly travelled to meet their victims following grooming in the same time frame.
Eighteen of these 70 Merseyside suspects ended up in court.
In one case the suspect died before an arrest could be made. A further two collapsed because it was not deemed to be in the public interest to bring charges and seven are still under investigation.
There were six cases where the victim did not support attempts to prosecute and six were historic allegations where the perpetrator went undetected.
A spokesman for the NSPCC said: “These are particularly challenging crimes for police and prosecutors because of the sophisticated methods of offenders to conceal identities and the power they can exert over victims.
“Some may not even see themselves as victims but in a relationship with their abuser.
“Investigations can be complex and time-consuming, but high-profile operations and convictions show these criminals can be traced to face justice.
“Tackling these crimes needs to be a priority in every force area.”
DCI John Middleton, from Merseyside police’s protecting vulnerable people unit, said: “We believe the recorded cases of grooming both here in Merseyside and across the country are just the tip of the iceberg and more needs to be done to give victims the confidence to come forward.
“Investigations of this nature are highly complex and difficult and, when we can’t get enough evidence to prosecute, there are still other things we can do to intervene and protect and safeguard that child victim.
“Ending child sexual exploitation is a priority for the police and also every other agency that puts protecting children at the heart of what they do.
“We need to stop it happening in the first place through being better equipped to spot the signs and intervening early to prevent a child being harmed.”