Wigan's police chief calls on the public to report domestic and sexual offences as she pledges further crackdowns

And there has been a particular surge in violence, sexual offences and stalking.

In an exclusive interview with Wigan Today, the borough’s new police commander Chief Supt Emily Higham said that these areas were already among Wigan’s biggest priorities.

And if anything they are crimes which have, historically, been under-reported.

She urged victims of such offences to get in touch and said that a problematic IT system that provides key data is now working much better and giving officers a clearer picture of what is happening.

Greater Manchester Police recorded 37,178 offences in Wigan in the 12 months to June, according to the Office for National Statistics.

At 112.4 crimes per 1,000 people, that was far higher than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 91.3.

This is only the second time GMP has been able to supply data at community safety partnership level since its implementation of its new IT system in July 2019 – meaning no comparison to the year before is possible.

Crimes recorded in Wigan included:

1,053 sexual offences

14,530 violent offences

4,248 incidents of criminal damage and arson

516 drug offences

373 possession of weapons such as firearms or knives

5,440 public order offences

9,609 theft offences

5,687 stalking and harassment offences

The figures come as a victim support group says “women deserve better” after a sharp rise in violent and sexual offences led to a record high for police-recorded crime in England and Wales.

Of the crimes recorded in Wigan over the last 12 months, 1,053 were sexual offences – an increase of 13 per cent from the year before.

Meanwhile, violent crime has risen in the area, from 11,799 to 14,530 over this period.

One of the main factors behind this increase was the rise in stalking and harassment, which rose by 27 per cent, from 4,461 incidents to 5,687.

Across England and Wales there were 70,600 rape offences recorded in the year to June, another record high and an increase of 20 per cent from 59,046 in 2019-20.

The number has nearly doubled in just over six years, from 36,321 in 2015-16.

Supt Higham said: “We understand that sexual offences and domestic abuse are under-reported by victims for a number of reasons.

“I understand that reporting any crime is difficult in itself. However, I would strongly urge victims to come forward and have the confidence to report crimes to us so we can help victims receive justice.

“Domestic abuse is one of the key areas of focus across Wigan, Leigh and GMP has a whole. We focus on supporting victims and children.

"The arrest rate for domestic abuse at Wigan/Leigh has almost doubled over the last 12 months and we use Domestic Violence Protection Orders and other civil orders to keep people safe.

“Our key aim when dealing with any domestic abuse crime is to keep victims and children safe and free from harm. We work with a number of statutory and voluntary partners to support families when they need us.

“I would encourage the people of Wigan and Leigh to report offences of any nature to us so we are aware what is going on and we can take the necessary action.

“We have also seen an increase in stalking and harassment crimes, the majority of these which have been submitted as a ‘secondary crime’ when a primary domestic offence has taken place.

“We have been working to resolve an issue with supplying data to partners at Police.UK who require more than just crime data as part of pack of information they accept from forces. We have worked through significant challenges with part of our new IT systems since it was introduced, and while some persist, we have made remarkable improvements to ensure we can share and report on lots of data and continue to improve so all data can be shared as soon as we are able.”

Nationally, domestic-abuse related offences totalled 912,181 in the year to June, up six per cent on the previous 12 months and up 14 per cent in 2019-20.

Some of this increase “may reflect improvements seen in recording and reporting over the last few years,” the ONS added.

And theft offences in Wigan rose by 22 per cent, with 9,609 incidents recorded in the 12 months to June.

At 29.1 crimes per 1,000 people, that was slightly higher than the rate across England and Wales, which stood at 26.5.

Supt Higham added: “We are actively patrolling the streets and engaging with the public in our communities as there is simply no place for any type of crime in our homes or our streets. Officers are now more visible on the town centres on Friday and Saturday nights, when a number of these offences occur.

“We are seeing more offences being reported at public houses, to door staff and victims reporting direct to officers, which is all welcome. We are also working with the local authority, and licensed premises to make our town centres a safer, including additional training for door staff, Ask for Angela and the use of street and taxi marshals.

“I would encourage all people who are out on a night out, to stick together, look after each other and go to a regulated taxi rank to get home.

“Our officers in Wigan work tirelessly day and night to ensure the public feel safe where they live and feel empowered to report any crime to us.

“I am really keen to hear from you, if you have any intelligence as to who is committing offences or causing problems within your neighbourhood. If you or anybody you know has been the victim of a crime or you have any information to report, you can contact GMP by calling 101. Always call 999 in an emergency.”