More serious sexual offences now resulting in charge or summons in Wiltshire
The stats, from the Office for National Statistics, have been hailed as good news for victims.
New figures show a larger proportion of serious sexual offences are now resulting in a charge or summons.
The stats, from the Office for National Statistics, have been hailed as good news for victims.
Wiltshire's Police and Crime Commissioner says now's not the time to get complacent with the new figures though.
Across our county, sexual offences resulting in a charge or summons has gone from 6 to now 10.1 per cent in the year to the end of March, way above the national average.
PCC Philip Wilkinson says violence against women and girls is still a huge concern though, and follows the news just this week of listening circles being set up to help shape the service going forward.
Rape charges and summons have also increased from to 3.8% to 7.7% - a 3.9% increase - both of these figures are higher than the national increase.
Mr Wilkinson said: “Violent and sexual crimes against women and girls cause great concern in our communities and we have seen a real push nationally to tackle these growing issues.
“Improving outcomes for victims and ensuring quality investigations are being carried out has been a core focus for Wiltshire Police in the last year and this is directly delivering against a key priority within my Police and Crime Plan.
“The latest figures show things are starting to go in the right direction but there is still more to be done and we will not become complacent, however.
“I have worked closely with our new Chief Constable and acted upon operational advice to invest in Wiltshire Police’s capacity. In the same time period as the figures, we have invested more than £750,000 in a specialist team focusing on investigating and preventing violence against women and girls, commissioned a new Independent Sexual Violence Advisory (ISVA) Service, and conducted victim-based surveys to improve service levels.
“This work is continuing, and we have recently set up Listening Circles for victims of sexual offences to share their experiences and help shape the service provided by the force.
“Behind every statistic is a person – a victim of crime – and we must, and should, do everything we can to ensure they are supported through the criminal justice process and to protect our communities by consistently ensuring justice is served.”