Sexual offences rise nearly 10% across Thames Valley
Figures from Thames Valley Police show there has been 630 more cases of sexual offences
Last updated 19th Feb 2026
New figures show sexual offences across the Thames Valley have risen by 9.3% in the past year.
Official statistics from the force show there has been 630 more cases of sexual offences between February 2025 and January 2026.
In that period, there was 2,531 cases of rape, an increase of 4.4% compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, there was 4,879 cases of non-rape sexual offences which is an increase of 12%.
Thames Valley’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Matthew Barber said: “We've never set a target for reductions in those areas because we know they are underreported. They have been historically.
“The increases we see are largely, not exclusively, around increased reporting.”
The PCC adds: “There is a lot of really good work going on that we do around rape and sexual offences, and we see an increase in outcomes for those crimes with a higher number of conviction rates.”
Overall crime down 2%
The figure for overall crime (excluding fraud) has dropped 2% between February 2025 and January 2026.
Murder and manslaughter cases seen the biggest decrease of 33%, down from 18 to 12. Knife crime also dropped 17.2% with 2,295 offences, compared to 2,772 the previous year.
Although, robbery had seen the biggest increase in crime of 14%, rising from 1,800 offences to 2,052.
PCC Barber says, “reducing crime is the main priority.
“I'm always conscious of making sure that we are encouraging the public to report crime as much as we can.
“There will always be some people who, when they see these sorts of figures say, that's because people aren't reporting things - frankly, if you're not reporting crime, then you are part of the problem.”
Adding: “For me, reporting is much more than just getting a crime number.
“If we don't get reports into the police, then they'll have no chance of catching those criminals.
“If we can catch people who are committing offences, get them locked up and off the streets, that prevents crime in the future.”