There has been a seven per cent rise in arrests in the Thames Valley in the past year - with a spike in charges for rape and drug trafficking. 

Thames Valley Police Chief Constable Jason Hogg has addressed national reporting on a reduction in arrest numbers - saying that there were thousands of arrests in his jurisdiction. 

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“In the last financial year, we made almost over 30,000 arrests, an increase of over 7 per cent more than the previous year, resulting in more charges for crimes such as rape offences (increasing by 17.4 per cent) and drug trafficking (25 per cent increase)," he said. 

“We remain committed to the communities we serve by fighting crime and serving victims.

“We are aware of the pressures being faced across the wider criminal justice system, and we are working to support them as much as we possibly can.

“Our priority remains to protect our communities and I would like to reassure people across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire that we will continue to be proactive in arresting those who are suspected of committing crimes."

Chief Constable Jason Hogg said his team continued to work hard to bring more offenders to justice. 

Chief constables were urged to consider pausing “any planned operations where large numbers of arrests may take place” to ease pressure on the criminal justice system, in a letter from the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC), the Times reported.

The request, which crime and policing minister Chris Philp told MPs was a contingency measure, prompted a backlash amid concerns over public safety if the measures were put into action.