More Than 7,000 Sexual Offences Reported to Devon & Cornwall Police in the Past Year

More than 7,000 rape and sexual offences have been reported to Devon & Cornwall Police in the past year, according to new figures released by Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice.

Rising Reports but Few Prosecutions

Across the UK, police-recorded sexual offences have risen by 11% in the past year compared to the previous 12 months, a rise attributed to improved recording practices. Despite this, the number of victims withdrawing from prosecutions is at an all-time high, according to the Daily Mail.

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, 5,475 rape and sexual offences were reported to Devon & Cornwall Police. That number rose slightly to 5,869 the following year before increasing more sharply to 7,033 in the most recent figures.

📷Copyright: SexualAbuseCompensationAdvice.org.uk

Prosecutions Abandoned

Between January and March this year, a total of 98 rape prosecutions were abandoned across the country. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has faced criticism for long waits and lack of support, with accusations that victims are being let down.

Official CPS data shows the number of rape prosecutions being ditched rising from 160 in 2020/21 to 608 in 2024/25. A recent inspection concluded that too much focus was being placed on ‘victim credibility’ rather than the suspect.

Where Offences Are Happening

Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice also revealed figures showing where offences were most frequently reported across the Devon and Cornwall force area over the past three years. Plymouth recorded the highest number with 3,857 offences, followed by Exeter and East & Mid Devon with 3,350.

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.”

Fewer Survivors Receiving Compensation

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) received 14,665 applications for sexual assault and abuse compensation in 2024/25, up from 10,309 two years earlier.

Despite the rise in applications, fewer survivors are seeing their claims resolved and less compensation is being paid out. In 2022/23, there were 5,703 settled claims totalling £65,275,451. By 2024/25, this had fallen to 2,217 settled claims worth £23,482,590.

Legal Support Available

Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice provides expert claim and legal advice services for survivors. They operate a 24-hour helpline and an online claim form, which can be accessed on their website.

📷Copyright: SexualAbuseCompensationAdvice.org.uk