The number of reported sexual assaults in the North East is rising, but we still think there are more
Improved practices have led to more sexual offences being recorded year-on-year, yet it is believed that there is still a worrying number of victims not reporting offences.
Figures obtained by Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice have revealed that more than 5,000 rape and sexual offences have been reported to Northumbria Police in the past year
In the UK, there was an 11% increase in police recorded sexual offences in the past year compared to the previous year, largely due to improvements in police recording practices.
Yet, according to statistics reported by the Daily Mail, the number of rape victims pulling out of prosecutions has reached an all-time high.
Policy Advisor at The Survivors Trust, Lucy Duckworth, said: “I think that some victims do not want to report offences or be involved in prosecutions because they are seeing the trauma of reporting.
“Of the 15% of offences that are reported, only 1.6% will result in a prosecution. This isn’t a system that needs reforming, but rather one that simply isn’t working and isn’t delivering for victims.”
In 2022/23, 5,046 rape and sexual offences were reported to Northumbria Police, before this number dropped to 5,041 a year later.
Over the past year, the force has seen an increase in reported offences, with the total standing at 5,626.
Between January and March this year, a total of 98 rape prosecutions were abandoned across the country, with the Crown Prosecution Service being accused of betraying victims due to a lack of support and long waits for cases to come to court.
Official CPS figures have seen the number of rape prosecutions being ditched rise from 160 in 2020/21 to 608 in 2024/25.
Lucy Duckworth said: “I think we need a huge cultural and societal shift, such as making it mandatory for all police and frontline staff to have training in working with survivors of sexual violence, because we are now looking at around 14 million adult survivors in this country.
“A lot of this comes down to the ‘victim-blaming’ culture that exists within our society, which, of course, puts people off.
“One of the main problems is that we intervene once the offence has already happened, we have got to stop trying to address the symptoms of abuse rather than the actual abuse itself.”
Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice provides expert claim and legal advice services for sexual abuse claims.
They operate a 24-hour helpline and an online claim form, which can be accessed on their website.