More than 700 women and girls reported being raped to Dorset Police in the space of just one year, alarming figures show - while seven women and girls were killed in the county over a three year period.

The death of Sarah Everard has triggered a public outcry about the safety of women and how offences against them are dealt with.

An analysis of figures from Dorset Police reveals the risks that women face, with murder, rape and abuse contributing to what campaigners describe as a deadly ‘global pandemic’ of violence against women.

The most recent official statistics at police force level show that seven women and girls were killed in the area between April 2016 and March 2019. According to a report from the Femicide Census, a research and campaigning organisation, 18 of those killed in Dorset in the decade to 2018 were females aged over 14, all killed by men.

Home Office statistics show that women are disproportionately impacted by sex crimes and are more likely to be victims of stalking, harassment and domestic abuse than men.

A spokeswoman for Rape Crisis called for radical action in the fight to end violence against women and warned that the scope of the problem is much higher than figures suggest.

There were 716 rape cases recorded in Dorset in the year to March 2020 involving female victims, as well as 695 reported sexual assaults against women during the same period.

There were also more than 9,000 crimes flagged as domestic abuse in that period – the equivalent of 12 in every 1,000 people being violently or psychologically abused by someone they know.

Dorset officers investigated 2,498 harassment allegations and 421 stalking cases.

Figures for the whole of England and Wales show that at least two-thirds of domestic abuse victims in that period were female.

More than 70 per cent of the 2,075 women and girls killed in the decade to March 2020 knew their murderer, compared to almost half of the male murder victims.

A spokesperson for Dorset Police said: “Dorset Police is committed to supporting all victims of sexual offences.

“Specialist officers will support those who come forward and we will do all we can to ensure every report is thoroughly investigated.

“If you have been the victim of a rape or sexual assault and want to report it directly to police, contact Dorset Police via 101 and ask to speak to a specially-trained officer. In an emergency always dial 999.

“We acknowledge that not everyone will want to report a matter directly to the police. The Shores is the sexual assault referral centre for Dorset and its expert staff are independent of the police.

“If you have been the subject of a sexual offence and are not sure if you want the police to be involved, then you can call or visit The Shores to talk about what happened.

“The Shores can be contacted on 01202 552056 and more details about their facilities can be found on their website www.the-shores.org.uk.”