Recorded sex crimes reach record high in England and Wales

Victims' commissioner calls goal of returning prosecution levels to pre-2017 levels a pipe dream'

Sex crimes logged by police in England and Wales have reached a record high amid warnings from the victims' commissioner that the government's aim to boost prosecutions to levels last seen five years ago is a pipe dream".

Police-recorded sexual offences increased to their highest level over a 12-month period, with 183,587 in the year to December 2021, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).