Thames Valley Police claims progress on knife and sexual violence

Chief Constable Jason Hogg said tackling knife crime and sexual violence were his priorities

A chief constable has claimed progress on knife crime and sexual violence in his first year in the job.

Jason Hogg said they were his priorities when he took charge of Thames Valley Police in April 2023.

Mr Hogg, whose mother was stabbed to death by an ex-partner, said the force recorded an annual 11% drop in knife crime and a significant increase in charges for sexual offences.

However, separate government figures show an annual increase in violence.

It rose 4% in Thames Valley in 2023, while England's violent crime fell by 3%, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Thames Valley Police still maintained a much lower violent crime rate than the national average, the ONS data showed.

The rate per 1,000 residents in 2023 was 27 for Thames Valley, compared to 34 for England.

The force's knife crime rate did not change between 2022 and 2023, according to the ONS figures.

Mr Hogg said Thames Valley was the "safest force in the country when it comes to serious violence"

Unveiling the force's annual statistical report, Mr Hogg said: "The streets are safer than ever before but people don't feel that... and there's real fear.

"Knife crime has been an absolute priority... We're the safest force in the country when it comes to serious violence."

Thames Valley Police's own figures - for the year to the end of March 2024 - showed an 11% drop in "knife-enabled crime".

It did not produce figures for sex offences, but said more suspects were being charged.

According to the ONS, the force had 48 sexual offences per 100,000 population in both 2022 and 2023. The rates for England were 84, rising to 90.

Mr Hogg added: "[There've been] real successes in driving down violence against women and girls, which I've made a priority."

In interviews when he was appointed, the chief constable described how his mother was murdered in front of him when he was a boy as they walked home together from school.

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