Crime in the Thames Valley falls overall by almost 5% but rape increases by 62%

According to the recorded crime statistics for England and Wales which were released on Thursday 16th July 2015 by the Office of National Statistics, between April 2014 and March 2015, the Thames Valley area saw the second largest reduction of criminal offences in England and Wales.

This means there are 5,000 fewer victims of crime this year in the Thames Valley as a whole compared with last year.

Devon and Cornwall Police had the largest drop in crimes in England and Wales.

In Thames Valley there were 121,198 crimes recorded across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire from April 2014 until the end of March 2015 compared with 127,431 in the 2013/2014 reporting year. This is a further reduction of almost five per cent from the previous year.

In the Thames Valley Police area domestic burglaries have fallen by 21.4 per cent in the last year. This is the lowest recorded level in Thames Valley since 1973 and the second largest decrease in England and Wales (England and Wales average – 7.1%).

There has been a 62% increase in the number of rapes reported in this period.

There has also been a 40% increase in victims coming forward about rape offences which occurred prior to April 2014. This shows a greater confidence among victims that the police will deal with the rape in an effective and sympathetic way.

The increase in recorded rape offences in Thames Valley can partially be attributed to the effectiveness of the domestic abuse risk assessment process during which victims can disclose previously unreported rapes. These disclosures have increased by 63%.

The crime landscape is changing, with new crime types such as CSE and human trafficking now amongst those that we are tackling. Thames Valley Police recognise these challenges and are committed to tackling these crimes over the next few years.

In the past year there have been 187 CSE related crimes recorded across Thames Valley and within this financial year, the Force has made 38 charges. CSE will continue to be a Force priority over the coming year.

Chief Constable Francis Habgood comments: ‘I am really encouraged by the latest figures which show that Thames Valley had the second largest reduction in criminal offences across England and Wales last year.

While the figures on rapes are higher, I believe that this shows a greater confidence among victims that the police will deal with the rape in an effective and sympathetic way.

Crime across the Force area continues to fall and victim satisfaction remains high. This is testament to the officers, staff and volunteers who, with the support of members of the public and partners, worked so hard to achieve this.‘