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VAWG Data

Crime Data (Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence)

This page will be refreshed annually. Annual comparable data will be compared to gauge the direction of travel of VAWG offences and incidents and provide evidence on the impact of the Strategy. This data represents VAWG offence MPS data recorded in 2022 with a comparison to those recorded in 2021.

NB: Some data cannot be further filtered and therefore this cannot be considered a completely accurate description of the crime levels. Further, there is no specific flag for VAWG in wider crime categories, such as Violence Against the Person, and therefore such data will include non-VAWG related crimes within it. Additionally, not all crimes are reported and therefore captured in this data.

Domestic Abuse - 2021 compared to 2022

The number of domestic abuse offences has remained relatively consistent in Bexley in the years 2021 and 2022, with an overall slight increase. This is expected as an ongoing result of coming out of lockdown and increased awareness. Categories cannot be summed.

Domestic Abuse Offences is a subcategory of Domestic Abuse Incidents and Domestic Abuse Violence with Injury is a further subcategory of Domestic Abuse Offences.

Domestic Abuse - Bexley compared to other London Boroughs

While the overall rate of domestic abuse is shown to have decreased in Bexley, the decrease was low comparative to other boroughs, who saw much higher numbers in previous years.

Sexual Offences - 2021 compared to 2022

The number of sexual offences in 2022 is greater than in 2021. This could be a result of increased awareness and media attention leading to increased reporting.

Sexual Offences are split into two sub-categories: 1) Rape, and 2) Other Sexual Offences. Other Sexual Offences include everything else from exposure and voyeurism to touching, including over clothes, and offences that cause or incite sexual activity, those linked to prostitution, spiking, incest, etc.

There were 166 rapes reported in 2022, and 347 other sexual offences.

Sexual Offences - Bexley compared to other London Boroughs

The crime rate for sexual offences overall has increased over the last year in comparison to 2021.

Comparatively with other London Boroughs, some which saw a decrease in rate, Bexley has moved from third safest borough for sexual offences in London to seventh.

Violence Against the Person - 2021 compared to 2022

Violence Against the Person can include violence targeted because of gender. Sub-categories of this depend on the outcome; 1) without injury, 2) with injury, and 3) homicide.

Violence with Injury includes any kind of assault where physical injury occurs. Violence without Injury includes Common Assault, Threats to Kill, Stalking and Harassment, Malicious Communications, etc.

NB: Street Level Harassment, such as calling out and beeping etc will likely be recorded and Public Order offences rather than assault without injury and are therefore not reflected in this data.

Murder and Manslaughter are in the Homicide category. There was a decrease in homicide in 2022 by half, though numbers in both 2021 and 2022 are low. There is more violence without injury than with injury.

Violence Against the Person - Bexley compared to other London Boroughs

Bexley’s position for safety in relation to Violence Against the Person has remained static at number 9 London-wide. As a result of the increase in crimes overall, as seen above, the crime rate too has increased overall. This seems to be in line with other London boroughs, with most seeing an increase in violent crime rate overall in 2022.

NB: Violence Against the Person may include non-VAWG related crimes within it.