Sexual offences up 23% as new figures reveal soaring rates of knife and gun crime

Sexual offences, knife and gun crime have rocketed, with thousands more offences reported compared to the previous year, the latest figures reveal.

Overall, police-recorded crime in England and Wales increased by 14 per cent in the year ending September 2017 - though officials have warned that relying on police data alone does not give an accurate picture of the scale of the problem.

According to the figures, there was a 23% year-on-year increase in reported sexual offences, up to 138,045. Knife crime was up 21 per cent, up to 37,443 recorded offences - and gun crime rose by 20 per cent, to 6,694.

The Office for National Statistics said these crimes were mostly concentrated in London and other major cities.

"While it is possible that improved recording and more proactive policing has contributed to this rise, it is our judgement that there have also been genuine increases," the report adds.

The figures were compiled using the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW).

Robbery crimes showed the biggest year-on-year increase, rising by 29 per cent from 53,263 to 68,968 offences.

Labour's shadow home secretary Diane Abbott said the figures were "truly shocking", and called for "an end to government complacency" on crime.

"The Tories are failing in a basic duty to protect the public," she said.

Overall, there was an 11 per cent increase in thefts, including an eight per cent rise in burglaries.

Meanwhile, vehicle offences showed an increase of 18 per cent. Theft of vehicles was up by 22 per cent, and theft from vehicles was up by 15 per cent.

The report states that much of the overall rise was down to the figures now including fraud and computer-related crimes.

But crime numbers are still below their peak in the mid-90s.