The number of reported sexual offences is on the rise

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Violent offences leapt 27 per cent with an extra 185,000 attacks while murders, knife and gun crimes also rose, said the Office for National Statistics yesterday.

Police recorded 4.3 million offences overall in the 12 months to September 2015, an increase of six per cent on 2014 and the biggest rise in nearly 15 years.

A separate measure based on people’s personal experiences – the Crime Survey of England and Wales – showed levels were stable at 6.6 million incidents.

ONS figures show that, in England and Wales, 99,600 sex crimes, including 33,431 rapes, were reported – 36 per cent up and the most since the current recording system began in 2003.

Rapes are up 39 per cent and the 66,178 other assaults represent a 35 per cent rise.