Reports of sexual assault across the region jumped by more than 50 per cent in April and June this year.

New figures released by the Office for National Statistics show Thames Valley Police recorded 1,790 sexual assaults between April and June this year – up by 56 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Reacting to the figures, which showed a one per cent fall in crime overall in the year to June 2021, the Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire force said tackling sexual offending ‘remained a priority’ and urged victims to come forward.

Nationally, the government statistics showed that police forces in England and Wales recorded the highest number of rapes and the second highest number of sexual offences in a 12-month period

There were 61,158 rapes recorded in the year to June, according to the ONS, up 10 per cent from the previous period. This was the highest ever recorded annual figure to date and included 17,285 offences between April and June - also the highest quarterly figure.

Nick Stripe of the ONS suggested the rise could be due to more victims, an increase in the number of victims reporting as lockdowns eased or a greater willingness to report assaults after high-profile attacks such as the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard.

In the Thames Valley, police recorded 50 knifepoint rapes in the 12 months to June 2021.

Crime figures for Oxfordshire’s council – or ‘community safety partnership’ – areas were published by year rather than quarter.

In Oxford, police recorded 559 sexual offences in the year to June 2021, an increase of four per cent on the previous year. South Oxfordshire was one of the few areas to record a fall in sexual offending. The 267 offences reported was down seven per cent on the previous 12 months.

Across the region, there was a 65 per cent jump in the number of harassment and stalking offences reported to police in April to June 2021 compared to the previous year.

Over the year, north Oxfordshire saw the highest jump in stalking and harassment allegations – with a 50 per cent rise in reports.

Thames Valley Police attributed a rise in harassment to increased awareness of the crimes and changes in the way the offences were recorded.

A spokesman said: “We will continue to do everything possible to combat these offences, and to protect the safety of victims.

“We would encourage people to please report these offences so that we can protect victims and take action against offenders.”

The force has appointed a new detective superintendent to oversee investigations into allegations of rape and serious sexual offending.

Project Vigilant, which sees plain clothes officers patrol nightspots in a bid to catch out predators and which started in Oxford in 2019, has now been rolled out across the country.

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