Last year’s record number of rape cases in England & Wales was broken by a record number of sex offenses. New figures today reveal that the highest ever reported number of sex crimes was also at an all-time high.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), there were 61.158 rapes during the year to June.
This was the highest annual record and included 17,285 offenses between April and June. It also included the highest quarterly figure.
The 12 months to June also saw the second-highest number of sexual offenses (164,763). This is an 8% increase over the previous year.
This was due to the highest quarterly figure ever recorded (48,553) during the same three-month period of 2021. 37% of all sexual offenses recorded by police involved rape.
According to the Office for National Statistics, there were 61,158 rapes in the year ended June.
Nick Stripe is the ONS’ head of crime statistics. He stated that there was a ‘larger increase in the recording rape and other sexual offences in the April to June 2021 quarter’. But he cautioned against misinterpreting the data.
He stated that victims are more likely to report incidents due to lockdowns being eased.
The police recorded 846.235 offences (not fraud crimes) that were flagged for domestic abuse-related violations over the 12-month period. This represents a 6% increase on the previous year’s 813.958 offences.
This includes 687,328 violence incidents against the person labelled domestic abuse-related, an increase of 7% compared to the previous years.
Nick Stripe, the ONS’ head of crime statistics, stated that there has been a significant increase in the number of recorded rapes and sexual offences over the last quarter of April to June 2021. File pic
According to the ONS, it is difficult to determine the level of domestic abuse in the country with police-recorded data. This is due to changes in how crimes are reported. Therefore, ‘we cannot conclude if there has been an increase of domestic abuse victims’.
It added that victim services data suggests that domestic abuse experiences may have been more severe during national lockdown periods and that victims had difficulty accessing support in these circumstances.
The ONS stated that domestic abuse-related crimes and sexual offenses recorded by police ‘does not provide a reliable measurement of trends in these kinds of crime’. However, improvements in police recording practices and increased reporting from victims have contributed to recent rises.
It said that the figures did not provide an accurate measure of crime-related demand on police officers.