Damning new data from the Home Office shows where sex crimes are on the rise as it is announced that 217,567 offences were recorded across England and Wales last year
Worrying new data pin-points Britain’s worst sex crime hotspots – with people in some areas of the UK more than twice as likely to offend as those in others.
Sexual assaults continue to surge, shocking new statistics show, with 217,567 offences recorded across England and Wales between March 2025 and March 2026. Home Office figures detail a rise of four per cent, almost 9,000 more than what was recorded the previous year.
Stats from 2025 show that more than 15 per cent of people aged 16 years and over – almost 7.7 million – had experienced sexual assault, while 1.9 million, close to four per cent, were a victim of rape, including attempts. There are now 73,047 registered sex offenders managed by the police in the community across the UK, according to the latest government data.
The number has risen by 85 per cent over the past 15 years, since the police force level figures were first published at the end of 2010/11. At the time, there were 36,921 registered sex offenders living in England and Wales.
One area is considerably worse that others, with a staggering 5.0 sex crimes for every 1,000 people. Cleveland Police, which cover a 230-square-mile area that includes Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Hartlepool, and Redcar & Cleveland, recorded the highest rate of sexual offences.
That soared above the national average of 3.5, with 12,751 sexual offences – a year-on-year rise of around 10 per cent – reported.
In January, Paul Devaney, 42, was jailed for life at Teesside Crown Court after admitting rape, assault with intent to commit a sexual offence, false imprisonment and controlling and coercive behaviour.
West Yorkshire was confirmed as the second-worse area for the assaults, with a four per cent rise with 4.4 sex crimes per 1,000 people. One of those was Jordan Reynolds, 30, who was sentenced to 17 years at Bradford Crown Court in March for multiple rapes.
Avon and Somerset had 4.3, with Greater Manchester slightly less at 4.2. South Yorkshire and the West Midlands both had 4.0 offenders per thousand residents.
At the other end of the scale, Surrey Police reported the lowest number of sexual offences, with 2.3. London placed below the national average, with the Met Police confirming a rate of 3.1 per every 1,000 people.
A Home Office spokesperson told the Mirror: “We are deploying the full power of the state to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.
“These figures are a stark reminder of the scale of the challenge, but it is encouraging that more victims and survivors are coming forward to report these crimes. We will never give up on this fight. We will do whatever it takes to make this country safe for women and girls.”
The Crown Prosecution Service say it has charged more what they describe as ‘rape-flagged suspects’ than at any point in the last two decades, with increases in cases referred by police, charged by prosecutors and completed in the courts.
Prosecutors charged almost four in five of those cases referred by police – the highest rate on record.
Siobhan Blake, National CPS lead for Rape and Serious Sexual Offences, said yesterday: “Victims of rape and serious sexual offences deserve a criminal justice system which will use every tool at its disposal to bring offenders of these abhorrent crimes to justice.
“I hope that by seeing how many cases our prosecutors charge from cases the police pass to us gives survivors the confidence they need to seek a justice outcome.
“Those who are questioning whether to come forward, please know we will be here to listen, no matter how long has passed, and to support you if you choose this route.”
Sexual offences per 1,000 people last year
- Cleveland 5.0
- West Yorkshire 4.4
- Avon and Somerset 4.3
- Greater Manchester 4.2
- South Yorkshire 4.0
- West Midlands 4.0
- Durham 3.9
- Northumbria 3.9
- Dyfed-Powys 3.9
- Gwent 3.9
- Northamptonshire 3.8
- Lancashire 3.7
- Nottinghamshire 3.7
- North Wales 3.7
- Cheshire 3.6
- Staffordshire 3.6
- Norfolk 3.6
- Devon and Cornwall 3.6
- Cumbria 3.5
- Humberside 3.5
- Derbyshire 3.5
- Lincolnshire 3.5
- Hampshire 3.5
- Kent 3.5
- Merseyside 3.4
- Leicestershire 3.4
- Suffolk 3.4
- Gloucestershire 3.4
- South Wales 3.4
- Cambridgeshire 3.3
- Sussex 3.3
- Essex 3.2
- Warwickshire 3.1
- Bedfordshire 3.1
- Metropolitan Police 3.1
- Wiltshire 3.1
- West Mercia 3.0
- Thames Valley 2.8
- Dorset 2.8
- North Yorkshire 2.7
- Hertfordshire 2.6
- Surrey 2.3
