Telford has highest rate of child sex crime cases

Figures released today by the Home Office reveal the number of cases of sexual offences against children between September 2014 and September 2015.

In that time frame, there were 256 reported cases in the area.

Telford & Wrekin Council today said it was aware of the figures but added its priority was on child safety rather than statistics.

There were a total of 36,855 child sex offences in England and Wales, which works out as an average 6.4 child sex crimes for every 10,000 residents.

The borough has the highest rate of child sex crimes with 15.1 per 10,000 residents, according to the data. Second on the list was Rochdale with 14.1 child sex crimes per 10,000 residents, followed by Stoke on Trent with 13.5 per 10,000.

Russell Griffin, of Telford & Wrekin Council, said: "The council and West Mercia Police are aware of the figures published by the Home Office. We feel it is important that people have the confidence to report any issues that they are concerned about and these figures would suggest that they do.

"The whole issue of offending against children has risen in profile as a result of a number of high profile cases, including Operation Chalice which centred on historic offending in Telford and Wrekin and ultimately resulted in seven men jailed for a total of 49 years. We have worked very closely with the community to ensure there is a confidence to report issues people become aware of.

"The most important issue is the safety and welfare of our children and young people rather than statistics and we are committed to protecting them and investigating any offending we are made aware of."

Telford & Wrekin Council's children and young people's scrutiny committee is carrying out a review on how best to tackle child sexual exploitation in the area. It has met with victims' groups and support workers and a report will be released in May.

Of the 36,855 offences in England and Wales, 11,317 were rape offences. This is an increase of 75 per cent compared to the average for the previous three years, and was 44 per cent higher than the number recorded in the 12 months to September 2014.

Superintendent Jim Tozer of West Mercia Police said: "We are working closely with our partner agencies, in particular Telford & Wrekin Council, to identify possible victims and perpetrators of sexual abuse, to protect people from harm."