Sexual offences have reached a record high in Blackburn with Darwen, new figures show.

Police received reports for 550 sexual offences in the year leading up to March – an increase of 34 per cent from the year before and the highest number since records began in 2003.

As well as a dramatic rise in sex offences in Blackburn with Darwen, there has also been a substantial increase in violent crimes, up by 19 per cent with 6,994 offences.

In total, 15,877 offences were recorded in the borough in the 12 months to March, up 16 per cent compared to the previous year, when there were 13,708.

The only crime that dropped in the 12 months to March 2022 was drug related offences which were down by 17 per cent after 276 offences were recorded.

And, at 105.8 crimes per 1,000 people, that was far higher than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 89.3.

Meanwhile, violent crime has risen in the area, from 5,863 to 6,994 over this period.

One of the main factors behind this increase was the rise in violence with injury, which rose by 25 per cent, from 1,528 incidents to 1,903.

And theft offences rose by 17 percent, with 4,097 incidents recorded in the 12 months to March.

At 27.3 crimes per 1,000 people, that was slightly higher than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 25.1.

Other crimes recorded in Blackburn with Darwen included 1,882 incidents of criminal damage and arson, up 8 per cent; 163 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives, up 24 per cent; 1,442 public order offences, up 15 per cent; and 2,452 stalking and harassment offences, up by 12 per cent.

Ch Supt Mark Winstanley, of Lancashire Police, said: “We do recognise an increase in some crime types, however, this must be measured against figures from the previous 12 months, when the country was greatly affected by the COVID pandemic.

“These were unprecedented times, with lockdowns in place and fewer crimes being reported to police. It is only natural, once measures were relaxed and normality resumed, to see increases in some areas of crime and this is a picture reflected nationally.

“However we are not complacent about this and we continue to work hard with our partners to reduce crime and support people who do become victims of crime. We want people to feel confident they can report crimes to us, safe in the knowledge we will do everything we can to support them.

“Our residents should feel safe and understand we will do everything possible to trace criminals and take action against them.”