The number of sexual crimes taking place in North Ayrshire fell at the end of last year.
There was an overall decrease in the number of sexual crimes reported to the end of the final quarter of 2022, down 6.8 per cent on the previous year but still up 1.6 per cent on the five-year average.
The biggest reduction was seen in sexual assault crimes (down 23.7 per cent on last year) the North Ayrshire police and fire and rescue committee heard last Monday.
Rape crimes have noted an increase, but this is due primarily to non-recent reporting (accounting for 43.3 per cent of rape crimes).
When considering all sexual crimes, 33.4 per cent of crimes are non-recent, this includes 29 non-recent rape crimes and 29 non-recent sexual assaults.
Detection rates were 58.1 per cent, significantly above the previous year (46.3 per cent) but below the five-year average (62.6 per cent).
Rape detections were 49.3 per cent, while sexual assault detections were 62 per cent Police Scotland has made a concerted effort to raise awareness and encourage survivors of sexual abuse to report incidents.
Every report is investigated thoroughly.
There is a dedicated detective inspector who has been appointed to the Divisional Rape Investigation Unit and oversees all reported incidents, ensuring appropriate governance and oversight and thorough investigation into the report.
Chief superintendent Faroque Hussain said “The increase in sexual crime reporting highlights how our response to online offending and public protection are a key part of frontline policing in a modern society. Tackling sexual crime remains a key priority and we will continue to focus enforcement in this area.
“We encourage survivors of sexual abuse to report incidents regardless of when they occurred and recognise the trauma that can be caused to survivors of sexual abuse and work collaboratively with partners to ensure these individuals are fully supported through the justice system. We always seek to learn and improve the service provided to survivors of sexual abuse.
“Gathering feedback helps us understand what we are getting right and what we could do better. We are committed to continually improving the service we provide, to build confidence in reporting and in policing more widely.
“It is acknowledged that while the criminal justice system can itself present challenges for survivors, there is a risk that witnesses, especially children and other ‘vulnerable witnesses’ of the most serious and traumatic crimes can be re-traumatised through their participation in the criminal justice process. Officers are being further trained with information about the impact of trauma and how these can impact on a person’s ability to participate in an interview to provide a fair and consistent approach under video recorded conditions.
“We continue to work closely with partners to ensure survivors are supported throughout the criminal justice process.”
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