SEXUAL and violent offences in Wiltshire have risen, crime figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show.

Sexual offences increased by 18%, while violence against the person rose by 15 per cent - both in line with national figures.

Wiltshire Police said the increase in sex offences was as a result of improvements to recording practices as well as the impact of successful high profile cases such as those involving the broadcasters Rolf Harris, Dave Lee Travis and Stuart Hall.

The figures show crime in Wiltshire continues to fall, down 1.25% on the previous year, which means 413 fewer victims of crime.

The statistics cover the period from July 2013 to June 2014 in comparison to the same period the previous year.

The force is the sixth lowest nationally for overall crime and remains third lowest for dwelling burglary rates, which were reduced by 14 per cent compared to a national average of a 7 per cent reduction.

Wiltshire Police remain committed to tackling night-time crime and encouraging victims of domestic violence to come forward.

Chief Constable Pat Geenty said: "Although the crime statistics remain steady and overall crime continues to drop, we will be looking at the areas that have continued to rise such as violence against the person and sex offences. The force has improved recording practices and I am certain this is a factor in the rise in recorded sex offences.

"I will continue to keep a close eye on those areas to ensure that we are using the right tactics to tackle night time economy and serious crime across the county."

The Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon, Angus Macpherson, said: "We were expecting to see a rise in reported crime in some areas, such as sex offences due to the improvements made in recording practices.

"We have also been doing a lot of work to improve the public’s confidence in reporting crime. This, in conjunction with high profile publicity around sex offences would impact on the amount of reporting – if more victims feel brave enough to come forward than this is a good thing."