Sex offence concerns as crime figures rise

Police in Hartlepool recorded a rise in sex offences last year, as crime figures rose overall, according to new data.
Hartlepool sex crime figures increase.Hartlepool sex crime figures increase.
Hartlepool sex crime figures increase.

Office of National Statistics (ONS) figures show Cleveland Police recorded 355 sexual offences in Hartlepool in the 12 months to December – a three per cent increase on the previous year.

The sex offence rate in the area is 3.8 crimes per 1,000 people - above the national rate of 3.1.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

They were among 11,662 crimes recorded in the area last year – up three per cent on 2020 – putting the overall crime rate at 124.3 per 1,000 people, compared to a national average of 85.5.

Other crimes recorded in area included:

*4,487 violent offences, a rise of seven per cent.

*3,213 theft offences, up five per cent.

*1,427 incidents of criminal damage and arson, down 12%.

*92 possession of knives and firearms, down 35%.

*1,258 public order offences, up 20%.

Around 6.1 million offences were recorded across England and Wales in the year to December – up eight per cent from 5.6 million in 2020.

The number of sex crimes logged by police nationally reached another record high in 2021.

Police forces recorded 183,587 rapes and sexual offences – up 22% on 2020, which was previously the highest annual figure to date.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

There was also a rise in domestic-abuse related crime in 2021, and stalking and harassment.

Diana Fawcett, chief executive of the charity Victim Support, said she was "seriously concerned" by the latest figures.

She added: “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 and this is a very worrying combination."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The ONS said the latest statistics may reflect a number of factors, including 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 said the overall number of crimes recorded were lower during lockdowns but that there were “substantial increases" from April 2021.