Reports of sexual offences in Chesterfield rose by nearly 25 per cent last year

Derbyshire Constabulary recorded 323 incidents of sexual offences in Chesterfield in the 12 months to September – an increase of 24 per cent.

At 3.1 crimes per 1,000 people, the figure was in line with the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 2.9 – according to the Office for National Statistics.

Derbyshire Police, commenting on the figures for Chesterfield, said while the figures looked “concerning” it was important to “further analyse the figures provided by ONS”.

A spokesman for the force said: “We know that of the 323 sexual offences reported over a 12 month period in Chesterfield 26 per cent of these actually related to non-recent sexual offences which had happened 12 months or more before they were reported.

"In turn, we have seen a 45 per cent increase in reporting of non-recent sexual offences overall in the last 12 months in this area.

“We believe this rise is down to an increase in public confidence around reporting sexual offences that happened some time ago – after ongoing national and local media coverage which has shown successful convictions of offenders who may have committed crimes years before they are reported.

“Whether someone has been affected by sexual violence today or many years ago, we will treat all reports sensitively, seriously and with the victim at the heart of everything we do.

"We will gather all available evidence and do everything we can to investigate – if you or someone you know have been affected, I’d urge you to report it to us.”

The force advised anyone not ready to take the judicial route to seek support via Derbyshire sexual violence charity SV2.

Around 5.8 million offences were recorded across England and Wales in the year to September – a two per cent rise compared to the previous year – though there was a one per cent drop to 4.9 million offences when excluding cases of fraud and computer misuse.

Police forces across the two nations logged the highest number of rapes and sexual offences in a 12-month period in the year to September, the figures show.

Around 63,100 rapes were recorded in the year to September, according to the Office for National Statistics, up 13 per cent from the previous period (56,100).

This was the highest recorded annual figure to date and included 17,400 offences between July and September – the highest quarterly figure.

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