THE number of rapes recorded across Thames Valley rose by 52.6 per cent in the last year.

And new crime figures released today by police show the number of sexual offences has also increased, going up 34.5 per cent between April 2014 and the end of March this year.

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Police said a third of rapes reported to them allegedly happened before April 2014.

The number of offences classified as violence against the person have also gone up, with an increase of 10.4 per cent.

But there was an overall fall in the number of crimes recorded, with 121,208 reported to police in the past year compared to 127,408 the year before.

And victim based crime has fallen by 4.5 per cent, with robbery down 17 per cent and burglary down 18 per cent.

Thames Valley Police chief constable Francis Habgood said: “Crime in the Thames Valley continues to fall and victim satisfaction remains high.

“The reduction for robbery, burglary and vehicle theft is particularly significant.

“This is testament to the officers, staff and volunteers who, with the support of members of the public and partners, worked so hard to achieve this.

“The greater reporting of sexual offences is encouraging and we will continue to safeguard and protect victims of these crimes and thoroughly investigate each case.

“Violence has risen in the last year, but levels in Thames Valley have been lower than national averages and we will continue to work with our partners and local communities to tackle these crimes.”