New data shows 30% of Thames Valley Police arrests in 2022 are linked to domestic abuse

Thames Valley Police has revealed that 30% of the arrests made in the area were linked to domestic abuse.

The police force arrested 15,000 people between April and September 2022 new data shows.

In this time period nearly half a million people have contacted the police.

On average, Thames Valley Police deals with almost 500 incidents a day.

In May, the force launched its strategy to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls, focused on dealing with perpetrators and working with partners to identify sexual and violent offending at the earliest opportunity.

Thames Valley Police says this focus has seen significant action taken against perpetrators, protecting vulnerable people in its communities.

Between April and September the number of charges for sexual offences increased by 105%, rape by 8% and stalking and harassment by 45%. Also, formal action taken against domestic abuse offenders increased by 44%.

Data used by the police force is being measured against figures from 2019, as lockdowns and Covid restrictions skewed policing data.

Between 1 April and 30 September this year, Thames Valley Police found 3,319 missing people, 1,567 of which were children.

Nearly 800 sudden deaths were attended by police officers in the area.

Residential burglaries are in decline Thames Valley Police reports, with 3,412 burglaries reported in 2019 versus 2,280 this year, a decrease of 33%.

More than 2,400 drug dealing and drug possession crimes were recorded and 445 arrests made for knife-enabled crime.

A police spokesperson said: “Another new specialist team set up this year is the Rural Crime Taskforce, designed to tackle rural crime in the Thames Valley. The taskforce has achieved 50 formal action outcomes, an increase of 108% when compared to 2021.”

Thames Valley Police links 60 convictions confirmed in 2022, to its work fighting Organised Crime Groups (OCGs).

Between April and September 658 reports of police officers being attacked were recorded.

More than 1,600 police officer applications were received in a six-month period.

Thames Valley Police revealed that 17% of applicants were Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic, and 38% were women.

A new recruitment campaign has been launched as the force seeks to add an extra 702 officers.