The scale of violence against women and girls (VAWG) in Huntingdonshire has been revealed in an exclusive investigation.
Figures obtained by The Hunts Post from Cambridgeshire Police found more than 1,100 crimes against women and girls were recorded in the district between 2019-23.
It follows a call to action from the National police Chiefs' Council (NPCC), which warned last week of an epidemic scale of offending after data revealed at least one in twelve females are victims of violent crime.
Alex Mayes, external affairs manager at the charity Victim Support said: “We are seriously concerned about the scale of violence against women and girls and it is clear more must be done to tackle the root causes.
"Given that most victim-survivors do not report to the police, it is vital that government departments and public services, like schools, GPs and hospitals, also work together to educate the public, spot abuse, and support victims.
“It is also important to remember that increases in police recorded crime don’t necessarily reflect an actual rise in incidents.
"Increases can for example mean that more victims and survivors are reporting to the police, especially following the ‘Me Too’ movement and coverage of high profile crimes.”
Violence against women and girls is an umbrella term used to cover a wide range of abuses against women and girls, including domestic abuse, stalking and honour-based abuse.
It was as classed as a national threat to public safety by the Home Office in February 2023 with a national framework to bring police response in line with that of counter-terrorism.
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Across Cambridgeshire, more than 7,400 crimes against women and girls were recorded during the same period, increasing from 1,341 in 2020 to more than 1,530 in 2023.
The figures, which combine rape and sexual assault crimes recorded by Cambridgeshire Police, are likely to be much higher and do not include offences such as stalking or honour-based abuse.
Councillor Alex Bulat, vice chair of the Communities, Social Mobility and Inclusion Committee said: "Sadly, violence against women and girls is an issue across the UK, where domestic abuse makes up almost 1 in 5 recorded crimes nationally.
"Men and boys are also victims of violence and abuse, but these crimes are shown to disproportionately affect women and girls.
Cllr Bulat has submitted a motion on Community Safety for consideration at the next full meeting of Cambridgeshire County on October 22, which includes work on violence against women and girls.
She added: "Moving to the UK as a teenager, I felt my vocabulary on how to express concerns on those issues was lacking and it took me a while to become confident to speak about issues such as domestic abuse or harassment.
"As a councillor now, I would like to do my bit to contribute to raising awareness of issues and having safer communities for all, regardless of our gender, race or other characteristics."
In Huntingdonshire, crimes against women and girls have soared by more than 45 per cent since 2019, increasing to 260 recorded offences in 2023.
In 2020, Cambridgeshire Police recorded 76 sexual assault offences in Huntingdonshire, which increased to 138 in 2023.
Meanwhile, the number of rapes recorded by the force in the district increased from 115 in 2020, to 122 in 2023.
Detective Superintendent Sherrie Nash said: “Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a force priority and we are working hard to keep our communities safe.
“We have dedicated teams tackling the issues and have utilised the government’s Safer Streets fund on many improvement projects, including training CCTV operators, taxi drivers and door staff to spot the signs and know how to deal with predatory behaviour, as well as delivering a long-term behaviour change campaign.
“We regularly have officers on dedicated patrols in city centres, spending time in and around bars, clubs, and areas where our communities have told us they don’t feel safe, all in an effort to make the streets of Cambridgeshire a hostile place for potential offenders.
“We are committed to improving outcomes for survivors of sexual violence through transformational change and specialist officers work closely across the county with our partners to provide support.
“There is always more work to be done and I continue to encourage women and girls to have confidence that their reports will be taken seriously, investigated thoroughly, and offenders dealt with robustly.”
Police and Crime Commissioner for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Daryl Preston added: “I very much welcome the Policing Statement which sets out the scale, complexity and impact on victims of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG).
"It builds upon the first VAWG Strategic Threat Risk Assessment 2023 which was published last year and which aimed to provide a better understanding of the influences and levers which contribute to VAWG being a national threat.
“I am committed to supporting the police and partners to take an early intervention approach to stop this kind of violence from happening in the first place. I would like to see this abhorrent crime eradicated in all its forms.
“It is absolutely vital that victims have access to support services when they need them. As Commissioner, I provide funding to a range of specialist providers who support victims and survivors of rape and sexual violence through a countywide service.
"If you or anyone you know is in need of support, please visit Cambridgeshire Victim Services website where a wide range of help and support is available.”
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