Extra officers transferred to Sussex as reports of rape rise

There were 677 recorded rapes of adults this year, compared to 603 last year.


There has been a 12 percent increase in the number of reports of rapes of adults in Sussex this year, according to the latest data from the national Rape Monitoring Group.

The data also reveals that rape reports have more than doubled in Sussex since 2011/12.

Nine police officers have transferred to Sussex this month from other forces in order to increase the number of police involved in Public Protection. At least further 30 staff and officers will be employed in this sector in Sussex in the near future.

This data could point either to a rise in the number of rapes, or to a rise in the number of victims who feel comfortable reporting the crime. Sussex PCC Katy Bourne said: “One of my priorities has been to encourage victims to report all forms of abuse including domestic abuse and serious sexual offences. Today’s figures show that Sussex residents who are affected are now more confident in the services that are available and that Sussex Police have improved their response.”

There is currently a nationwide trend in rising reports of rape and other serious sexual offences, and Sussex statistics are in keeping with this. 95 percent of all reported rapes of adults in England this year were against women.

Speaking to Juice Brighton, Detective Superintendent Jason Tingley said: “Sussex continues to experience increases in reports of rape, sexual offences and the abuse of both children and vulnerable adults, as victims become increasingly confident to come forward and report incidents, many of them non-recent.

“We already have specialist teams in Sussex Police focused on safeguarding and complex abuse investigations who are working closely with victims and our support agency partners. With additional dedicated officers and staff we will be even more effective in protecting victims and working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service to maximise our opportunities to prosecute offenders and keep people safe.”

Although these statistics are Sussex-wide, the university of Sussex has recently been home to numerous alleged rapes and other sexual crimes.

Between 2009 and 2014, there were 5 cases of alleged sexual assault on Sussex university campus, an average of one case per year.