Blackpool had the highest recorded sex crime rate in England and Wales, figures show (Image: Getty)
Sexual offences recorded by police have more than doubled in the last decade, even as overall crime has fallen – and our map reveals the hotspot areas. Police recorded 217,000 sexual offences across England and Wales in the year ending March 2026. The figure includes rape, sexual assault, exposure, voyeurism, and grooming offences.
While overall recorded crime has generally fallen over the past decade, sexual offending has soared. Sex crime increased by 4% last year and has more than doubled since 2016, although that may reflect a greater victim confidence in coming forward to report offences.
You can see the number of sexual offences and the crime rate where you live using our interactive map.
Despite the rise in reports, the conviction rates remain low. Of crimes recorded in the last year, fewer than one in 20 (4.7%) resulted in an offender being charged with a crime.
Charge rates were even lower for rape. Just 3.6% of reported rapes involving a female victim, and only 1.4% involving a male victim, ended with a suspect being charged.
Analysis of Home Office data reveals that reported sex crimes vary significantly across different parts of the country.
For volume, major cities recorded the highest total numbers of sexual offences, led by Birmingham (5,734), Leeds (3,697), and Manchester (3,323).
However, crime rates – which are calculated by measuring the number of offences per 1,000 residents – offer a clearer picture when comparing areas of different population sizes.
On this measure, Blackpool had the highest recorded sex crime rate in England and Wales.
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Police recorded 989 sexual offences in the resort last year, including 301 rapes. That equates to 6.9 crimes for every 1,000 residents.
Lincoln recorded the second-highest rate at 6.0 offences per 1,000 people (628 offences, including 261 rapes). Norwich was third-highest rate with 5.9 crimes per 1,000 people (873 offences, including 331 rapes).
The top 10 areas by recorded crime rate are as follows:
- Blackpool: 6.9 per 1,000 residents
- Lincoln: 6.0 per 1,000 residents
- Norwich: 5.9 per 1,000 residents
- Manchester: 5.6 per 1,000 residents
- Hartlepool: 5.6 per 1,000 residents
- Middlesbrough: 5.5 per 1,000 residents
- Bristol: 5.2 per 1,000 residents
- Nottingham: 5.2 per 1,000 residents
- Plymouth: 5.1 per 1,000 residents
- Stoke-on-Trent: 5.0 per 1,000 residents
There were 1,603 sexual offences recorded in Westminster last year, including 433 rapes.
However, it has been excluded from the main rate rankings as its residential population is heavily skewed by millions of annual visitors and commuters.
