Two cities in the Midlands have been identified as some of the worst areas in England and Wales for sexual offences, according to recently released crime data. This category includes a range of crimes such as rape, sexual assault, exposure, voyeurism, and grooming offences.
The analysis calculated crime rates per 1,000 residents to provide a clearer picture of areas facing serious challenges with sexual offences, rather than simply focusing on total crime numbers which tend to be higher in larger cities with bigger populations. Interestingly, Birmingham, despite being the largest city in the Midlands, did not feature among the top 10 worst hotspots.
Nottingham was ranked the worst city in the Midlands and eighth in the country for sexual offences, with a rate of 5.2 offences per 1,000 inhabitants. This ranking adds to concerns about Nottingham, which was recently reported to have the sixth highest overall crime rate in England.
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Stoke-on-Trent also appeared in the top 10, placing tenth with a rate of 5 sexual offences per 1,000 residents.
Across England and Wales, police recorded a total of 217,000 sexual offences in the year ending March 2026.
Nationally, Blackpool had the highest recorded sex crime rate, with 989 sexual offences reported in the past year, including 301 rapes. This equates to approximately 6.9 offences per 1,000 residents in the seaside town.
While overall crime rates have generally declined over the last decade, sexual offences have shown a significant increase. Sexual crimes rose by 4% in the past year and have more than doubled since 2016. This may reflect increased confidence among victims in reporting these crimes to the authorities.
Despite the rise in reports, conviction rates remain low. Of all sexual offences recorded last year, fewer than 5% resulted in a suspect being charged. Conviction rates were even lower for rape cases: only 3.6% of reported rapes involving female victims and 1.4% involving male victims led to charges.
These figures highlight ongoing challenges in addressing sexual offences and supporting victims across the Midlands and wider England and Wales.