New Home Office data reveals that 217,567 sexual offences were recorded across England and Wales between March 2025 and March 2026, a rise of four per cent or nearly 9,000 more than the previous year.
Cleveland tops list
The Cleveland Police area, covering Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Hartlepool, and Redcar & Cleveland, recorded the highest rate of sexual offences at 5.0 per 1,000 people, compared to the national average of 3.5. In total, 12,751 sexual offences were reported there, a year-on-year increase of around 10 per cent.
West Yorkshire was second worst with 4.4 per 1,000, followed by Avon and Somerset (4.3), Greater Manchester (4.2), and South Yorkshire and West Midlands (both 4.0).
National figures
Statistics from 2025 show that more than 15 per cent of people aged 16 and over – almost 7.7 million – had experienced sexual assault, while 1.9 million (close to four per cent) were victims of rape or attempted rape. There are now 73,047 registered sex offenders managed by police in the community across the UK, an 85 per cent increase since the end of 2010/11 when there were 36,921.
Surrey Police reported the lowest rate at 2.3 per 1,000. The Metropolitan Police recorded 3.1, below the national average.
Government response
A Home Office spokesperson said: "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 says it has charged more 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 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: “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.”
