THE number of people arrested for rape and sexual offences has increased across the Thames Valley.
Statistic for Thames Valley Police from the year April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024, shows that there has been a 17.4 per cent of rape charges from 121 last year to 142 this year and a 13.6 per cent increase on sexual offence charges from 426 last year to 484 this year.
Chief constable Jason Hogg said the increase has come from the force increasing confidence and trust with victims of sexual abuse.
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He said: “We’ve got a dedicated team of sexual abuse specialists because the big part of when it comes to investigating rape and sexual offences is getting that response right at the start and gaining the confidence of the victim and survivor of sexual abuse.”
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However, he added that despite the increase in charges it has been challenging due to the backlog of getting cases into court.
“We currently have a backlog of about two years at the moment,” he said.
“So we’ve had to spend more time and effort in providing extra support with help from the charity sector as well.
“There are problems within the criminal justice system at large and obviously policing is very much on the front line and trying to navigate work with colleagues in the CPS and the court system.”
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