Stalking and harassment has become Lincolnshire Police’s fourth-highest crime, 13 per cent of its workload, amid a surge in it and sexual offences cases.
The ONS data, corroborated by Lincolnshire Police, indicates that this year witnessed the highest number of sexual offence reports, recorded at 2,494, in the eight years on record, writes Local Democracy Reporter Daniel Jaines.
Since 2016, sexual offences have primarily risen by 113.71 per cent from 1,167, even taking into account the pandemic year.
The data shows a spike from 1,175 reports at the end of March 2017 to 1,562 at the end of March 2018 – an increase of 32.94 per cent – in the year the hashtag #MeToo spread on social media.
However, it’s not just sexual offences that have seen a significant increase. Stalking and harassment offences have risen from 1,045 to 7,670 since being recorded in 2018 – a 633.97 per cent increase.
DCI Rachael Cox, of Lincolnshire Police, said: “We are determined to eradicate violence against women and girls and treat cases of stalking and harassment extremely seriously.
“Lincolnshire Police are working tirelessly alongside our partners to identify risks, implement new initiatives to help safeguard the public and support victims in our county.”
In response the force has established Protecting Vulnerable People (PVP) team and supporting initiatives like StreetSafe, a website and app allowing people to report where they don’t feel safe.
It has also been recognised regionally for its Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) work and initiatives.
However, police say the rise in numbers could be due to changes in how crimes are recorded.
Significant alterations were made in 2018 to the National Standard for Crime Recording. The effects of those changes began to impact recorded numbers in 2019.
DCI Cox elaborated: “These changes, alongside an increase in internal training and the shifting culture around reporting sexual offences, are among the driving factors behind the rise in stalking and harassment numbers.
“We’re always analysing crime data to ensure our activity is targeted, effective, and preventive where possible.
“And we will continue to work with our partners to make Lincolnshire the safest place to live, work and visit and would encourage anyone who has been a victim of a sexual offence to contact us.”
Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones said: “All allegations of sexual offence, stalking or harassment should, and are, taken very seriously by Lincolnshire Police.
“What really matters, however, is ensuring all victims and survivors receive the service they deserve, both when they report an incident and as they cope with recovery.
“I established an independent panel to assess the work being done by the force to tackle stalking, harassment and sexual crimes, which are mainly perpetuated against women and girls, to ensure our communities can have the confidence to come forward and report incidents.”
