NEW PSNI statistics show that a shocking total of 53 sexual offences were recorded in Omagh alone in the last year, with an average of 30 sex crimes reported to police every week throughout Ulster. Yet police still insist that our streets are safe for women.
A total of 1,606 sex offences were recorded between April 1, 2007 and February 29 this year, which police say is a 3% drop from the previous year.
Sexual offences can be anything from indecent exposure to rape, and it is not clear how many of the 53 offences in the Omagh area have been serious sexual attacks.
The results are issued only a few days after the safety of women on our streets has been thrust into the spotlight again, when another teenager was raped in the Botanic Gardens area of Belfast on Saturday night.
The police have yet to find her attacker, though the PSNI insisted that officers are dedicated to "carrying out rigorous and thorough investigations and providing a professional service to victims of rape and sexual assault."
Speaking out after the results, a spokesperson from Women's Aid said that the public must work closely with police so that rapists and sexual offenders remain behind bars where they belong.
"Although there are a number of precautions women can take, these attacks can still happen no matter how careful the victim.
"Women must realise first and foremost that, if they find themselves as the victim of a sexual attack, they are not to blame.
"Even the most cautious of women can be attacked, this can happen in the cold light of day, as it has done too many times in the past.
She added, "Women should stay in well lit areas at night time, stay in groups and arrange proper, licensed taxis. If there is alcohol involved then you should be extra cautious as you tend to let your guard down and become more vulnerable.
"If you are going to go off with someone then make sure your friends or family know exactly where you are going and who you are with.
"People have to remember, no matter how careful you think you are being, you can never be careful enough."
