DORSET has seen one of the biggest reductions in crime of all police forces- but sexual offences are up.

Figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the number of crimes reported to Dorset Police is down by eight percent year on year.

The only other police force in England and Wales to see the same level of reduction is Cheshire.

However, the number of sexual offences- 655 between September 2013 and September 2014- is up 30 percent; and the number of violence without injury crimes (13,452) is up 39 percent.

The rise in sexual offences is a trend across police forces, with an overall increase of 22 percent.

Dorset Police says this increase is because of a greater willingness among victims to come forward due to high profile cases.

Deputy Chief Constable James Vaughan said the decreases in crimes such as dwelling burglaries, robberies, thefts and vehicle crime come after targeted focus on these areas by police.

“While it is extremely positive that we are continuing to experience less crime in Dorset and have experienced year-on-year reductions for the past 17 years, there is evidence nationally to indicate that crime reduction is slowing and many force areas are experiencing increases in crime across the board.

“This is not currently the case in Dorset but as austerity cuts deeper into our budgets, it is going to become increasingly difficult to maintain performance at levels enjoyed in previous years,” he said.

“It is also important to note that while we have seen volume crime reduce in recent years, the complexity of investigations into certain types of crime has increased considerably. An example of this is the policing response to areas of vulnerability such as child protection, domestic abuse and mental health.

“These are areas where significant investment has been necessary to improve our ability to safeguard people.

“In addition to these rising demands, evidence is emerging which shows a high volume of crime moving into cyber-space.

“This means that these days people are more likely to have their bank accounts hacked than their garden shed broken into. Online crime and internet-enabled crime are growing challenges for the police which, despite reductions in funding, have to be met head on.

“In addition, we have a growing need to protect communities from national and international terror threats which manifest themselves in real events on the streets of Britain. Meeting this growing threat is not reflected in simple volume crime figures and needs to be understood in the wider context of keeping people safe.”

Overall, crime is at its lowest levels across England and Wales since 1981 and is down 11 percent on the last 12 months.

Commenting on the increase in violent crimes against a person (up 15 percent), and the rise in sexual offences, Deputy Chief Constable Vaughan said: “As in many other force areas, the number of violent crimes against a person has risen in Dorset. The most likely reasons for this are that certain crimes included within the category of ‘violent crime’, such as domestic abuse, saw a rise in reporting due to increased confidence as well as changes to crime recording and classification.

“The latest figures also show another increase in sexual offences. High profile cases elsewhere in the country are continuing to give people the confidence to come forward and report such crimes, particularly those that took place a number of years ago.

"The Force has been working with, and will continue to work with local partners to promote awareness of how we can continue to tackle this kind of serious offending, whether recent or historic.”