Knife crime down across the Thames Valley policing area
The force are releasing their annual statistics, which see a rise in rape cases as well as motoring offences.
Last updated 29th Apr 2024
Thames Valley Police is today (Monday April 29th) releasing statistics on their activity from the last financial year, from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024.
The force say it has been another busy year with over 400,000 calls to 999, over 470,000 calls to 101, and over 108,000 online reports to our contact management centres.
They have attended 160,000 incidents, made 33,000 arrests, and helped find 5,687 missing people.
On top of that, they policed the King’s Coronation in Windsor, which was another of the most significant policing operations in the history of the Force, additionally helping people to stay safe at many other events such as Reading Festival, Royal Ascot and Henley Regatta.
Good news is that knife crime is down 10.8% bases on last year:
We've been speaking to Jason Hogg, Thames Valley Police Chief Constable:
"Violence is going down and we know that in the Thames Valley we have seen a concerted effort into improving our responses. Just two years ago we had too many young people being stabbed and often killed on our streets.
"We're patrolling crime hotspots, targeting those seen carrying knives. Plus we're working with local authorities and charities to divert young people away from those armed with weapons."
He goes on to say that a 17.4% rise in rape charges could be down to getting cases through court:
"Reported rape is actually dropping now from an overall high. Violence against women and girls is a real priority for me with more resources channelled towards rape investigations, sexual offences and also stalking harassment cases."
Elsewhere motor related incidents such as driving without a seat belt, driving whilst distracted and driving without due care and attention all saw more than a 50% rise, according to figures out today.
Jason Hogg, Thames Valley Police Chief Constable, says that despite a rise in these statistics our roads are actually safer:
"We've actually seen a reduction in serious collisions on our roads. People often don't see that. They might see a crash on the road, but our roads are getting safer through enforcement."
Numbers at a glance
984,280 total contacts from the public to Thames Valley Police – increase of 2% from 2022/23
404,654 calls to 999
471,512 calls to 101
108,114 online reports – an increase of 15% from 2022/23
638 missing people found deemed ‘high risk’
160,127 incidents attended
33,006 arrests made
755 knife crime arrests
9,253 domestic abuse arrests
6% increase in personal robbery (1,022 incidents to 1,088)
3% increase in residential burglary (4,942 to 5,075)
17.4% increase in charges for rape offences (121 to 142)
13.6% increase in charges for sexual offences (426 to 484)