DEVON and Cornwall Police have launched a campaign to raise awareness about non-contact sexual offences.

Non-contact sexual offences, such as exposure and voyeurism, have been overlooked in the past as a form of violence against women and girls - but it’s time to change that, the force says.

Often not considered serious enough to report by victims, these crimes can be an indicator of escalating criminal behaviour, which may lead to a serious sexual offending, including rape, sexual assault and even murder.

Last year, 540 offences of non-contact sexual offences were reported in Devon and Cornwall.

The most common offences reported were indecent exposure and sharing indecent images to people.

The most prolific offenders were between the ages of 26 and 45.

Most reports of these crimes came from victims under the age of 18, though reports were received from all age groups

Data from the Office for National Statistics in 2023 revealed that more than 12,000 exposure and voyeurism offences have been recorded annually by police in England and Wales since April 2021.

However, this represents fewer than six percent of the estimated number of total incidents, highlighting the significant under-reporting of non-contact sexual offences.

A recent report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for UN Women found that 71 percent of women in the UK have experienced sexual harassment in a public space, including though not limited to, sexual exposure.

Shockingly, 95 percent of these incidents were not reported to the police, with more than half of women saying they did not report as they didn’t believe the incident was serious enough.

‘We want to make it clear: it is serious and it does matter’ says Detective Superintendent Nicky Seager.

‘That’s why we’re launching a new campaign – ‘It Does Matter’ – as part of our ongoing work to ensure women and girls feel safe in the Devon and Cornwall which aims to educate and empower people to report non-contact sexual offences.

‘This campaign has been developed to target ages 18 to 24 years, but applies to people of all ages.

‘Many women and girls will have been subjected to non-contact sexual offences during their lives.

‘This is likely to include your family and friends. Many will have brushed it off as something that happens to all women, or found that others have laughed at their stories, making them question how serious it is.

‘We are launching the ‘It Does Matter’ campaign to encourage those who have been subjected to offences such as indecent exposure and voyeurism, to absolutely report to the police.

‘Any information shared will assist us understand patterns of offending and help to identify and locate individuals.

‘This will help prevent further offending and protect people from harm.

‘We strongly urge people to provide as much detail as possible when reporting non-contact sexual offences online.

‘Detailed information, including descriptions of offenders, significantly improves our ability to route the report to the appropriate department.

‘It really does matter.’

A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police said: ‘To learn more, visit the dedicated ‘It Does Matter’ website and follow our social media accounts to keep up to date.

‘To report visit: dc.police.uk/sexual-offences

‘If you have been a victim of this crime type and would like support, contact our Victim Support Unit – 08 08 16 89 111

‘Speak up, stand together, stay safe.

‘In an emergency, always contact: 999.’