Sex offences up as overall crime figures fall by 8pc

Police chiefs have promised to focus on improving investigations into rapes and indecent assaults but warned that deep cuts to the policing budget would make it harder to keep crime rates low.

Home Office statistics for the year to June 2010 show overall crime fell by eight per cent, thanks to reductions in criminal damage, vehicle crime and burglary.

Home Secretary Theresa May said: "Victims of crime know that while any reduction in crime is welcomed, statistics only present a partial picture.

"There are still too many offences which ruin lives, whether they are recorded or not, and that means more needs to be done to bring down crime.

The total number of incidents recorded by police in England and Wales in the year to June 2010 was 4.27 million, down eight per cent from 4.65 million in the previous 12 months.

The biggest fall, 17 per cent, was in criminal damage which dropped from 924,733 to 768,503, followed by offences against vehicles – including aggravated vehicle taking – which fell 14 per cent from 9,334 to 8,071.

Violence against the person with injury, which includes murder, attempted murder and causing death by dangerous driving, among others, was down seven per cent from 421,072 to 392,473.

Firearms offences fell two per cent from 8,113 to 7,966.

The figures were released a day after police forces learned their budgets would be slashed by 20 per cent by 2015.