MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Total number of sexual crimes in UK rose by 32 percent compared to 2013, and sexual offenses were "at the highest level ever recorded since the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) in 2002/03," the statistics department said in a report covering 2014 calendar year.
The number of rape cases alone increased by 40 percent, according to the report.
Commenting on the dramatic rise in the figures, ONS cited "a greater willingness of victims to come forward to report such crimes" as well as improvements in crime recording, as published documentation gets closer to showing true levels of crime.
Meanwhile, a high proportion of offenses remain unreported, making it extremely difficult to obtain precise information on sexual assaults.
Earlier in April, UK law enforcement said they saw the biggest increase in child sexual abuse reported to police in the United Kingdom since 2011, while the number of arrests over such cases fell.
