Sexual violence reports skyrocket in Blackpool as crime hits pre-pandemic levels

Lancashire police recorded 883 sexual offences in Blackpool in 2021 – an increase of 36 per cent compared to the previous year.

This returns the rate of such crimes in the resort to pre-Covid-19 pandemic levels, according to the Office for National Statistics.

READ: Crime in Blackpool at pre-pandemic levels and will be tackled like 'infectious disease'

Diana Fawcett, chief executive of the charity Victim Support, said: “Sadly, these figures reflect what we’re seeing – the number of sexual violence cases referred to us have increased by a third since before the pandemic.

“We also know that court delays for victims of sexual violence are at an all-time high – this is a worrying combination."

Last year, Blackpool saw an average of 6.4 crimes reported per 1,000 people, which was higher than the average rate across England and Wales, which stood at 3.1.

The number of sex crimes logged by police across the two nations reached record highs, with 183,587 rapes and sexual offences reported – a national increase of 22 per cent (150,748) in 2020.

Some 37 per cent of sexual offences recorded (67,125) were rapes – a 21 per cent rise from 55,592 the previous year.

There was also a rise in domestic-abuse related crime, stalking and harassment.

The ONS said the latest statistics may reflect ‘the impact of high-profile incidents, media coverage and campaigns on people’s willingness to report incidents’, as it was predicted that the number of reported incidents made up just a portion of the sexual offences occuring in England and Wales.

They said: “High levels of non-reporting combined with changes in reporting trends can have a significant impact on sexual offences recorded by the police. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the number of police recorded sexual offences was well below the number of victims estimated, with fewer than one in six victims of rape or assault by penetration reporting the crime to the police.

“The latest figures may reflect a number of factors, including the impact of high-profile incidents, media coverage and campaigns on people’s willingness to report incidents to the police, as well as a potential increase in the number of victims.

“Sexual offences recorded by the police were at the highest level recorded within a 12-month period (183,587 offences) in the year ending December 2021... Within these annual figures, the number of recorded sexual offences were lower during periods of lockdown but there have been substantial increases since April 2021.”

Sex crimes on the rise in Fylde and Wyre

Blackpool is not the only local area which has seen an increase in the number of sexual offences reported in the past year.

More sexual offences were reported in both Fylde and Wyre in 2021 compared to 2020.

Lancashire police recorded 211 sexual offences in Fylde, an increase of 36 per cent, while 249 incidents were reported in Wyre, an increase of 29 per cent.

Violence, theft, arson and knife crime

Around 6.1 million offences were recorded across England and Wales in 2021, including computer fraud and computer misuse.

This was up eight per cent from 5.6 million in 2020, but roughly the same number as recorded in the 12 months to March 2020, before the coronavirus pandemic.

Here are the crimes recorded in Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre last year, and how the numbers compare to 2020.

Blackpool

10,416 violent offences, up 18 per cent

5,053 theft offences, down one per cent

2,513 incidents of criminal damage and arson, up two per cent

287 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives, up 23

1,870 public order offences, up 11 per cent

Fylde

1,814 violent offences, a rise of two per cent

1,270 theft offences, a rise of 24 per cent

522 incidents of criminal damage and arson, up five per cent

42 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives, up 16

319 public order offences, up 28 per cent

Wyre

3,192 violent offences, a rise of 14 per cent

1,839 theft offences, down two per cent

877 incidents of criminal damage and arson, down eight per cent

61 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives, up 12

509 public order offences, up 29 per cent