Number of sex offences reported hits record high
Offences recorded by police in England and Wales has hit a record high
The number of sexual offences recorded by police forces in England and Wales has reached a record high.
Over 183,000 individual reports of sexual offences were received by police in year up to December 2021, up by 22% on figures from 2020 and 13% higher than 2019 figures.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), there was a dramatic reduction in sexual offences whilst lockdown measures were in place.
However, from April 2021, once lockdowns had eased, there had been a "substantial increase" in reports of sexual abuse and harassment.
Of the sexual offences reported, some 37% of those reported - equal to 67,125 - were rapes, an increase of over 12,000 compared to figures from the previous year.
However, despite the increase in reports of sexual offences, figures also revealed that the proportion of suspects being taken to court and prosecuted remains at an all time low.
Overall, over 2 million violence-related offences were registered with police forces for the year ending December 2021, up by 13% on 2020 figures.
The ONS suggested that the rise in reports was down to victims being more confident in coming forward, as well as better record-keeping from police forces.
In the report, the ONS said that multiple other factors could also come into play, such as the "impact of high-profile incidents, media coverage and campaigns on people's willingness to report incidents to the police, as well as a potential increase in the number of victims".
It added: "Since restrictions were lifted following the third national lockdown in early 2021, police-recorded crime data show indications that certain offence types are returning to or exceeding the levels seen before the pandemic.
"While violence and sexual offences recorded by the police have exceeded pre-pandemic levels, theft offences and robbery remain at a lower level despite increases over the last nine months."
Speaking on the figures, Diana Fawcett, chief executive of the charity Victim Support, expressed her concern for victims of sexual offences, both past and present.
"We are seriously concerned that sexual offences have reached a record high for the second year in a row," she said.
"Sadly, these figures reflect what we're seeing - the number of sexual violence cases referred to us have increased by a third since before the pandemic.
"We also know that court delays for victims of sexual violence are at an all-time high - this is a worrying combination."
She added: "Tackling this insidious violence needs to be the government's top priority, alongside ensuring all victims are treated with respect and given support to recover."