MORE than 20,000 sex crimes involving children were reported to police in England and Wales in 2008 and 1,235 of them took place in Hampshire with a further 309 offences in Wiltshire.
The figures reveal that 386 Hampshire victims were aged 10 or under.
Six times more sex crimes were recorded against girls than against boys.
A Home Office spokeswoman said: “Sexual offences against children are terrible crimes and we are committed to increasing the number of offenders that are caught and brought to justice.”
NSPCC director of public policy Phillip Noyes said: “These shocking figures reveal just how young many of the reported victims of sex abuse are.
“It’s a grim picture but this is only a snapshot, as our research indicates there are many more abused children whose suffering never comes to light.”
The NSPCC obtained the statistics by making freedom of information requests to all of England and Wales’ 43 police forces, and all but Greater Manchester Police responded.
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