A new campaign to raise awareness about non-contact sexual offences has been launched by Devon and Cornwall Police after 540 cases were reported to the force last year.

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

Non-contact sexual offences include voyeurism, upskirting, indecent exposure, spiking and stalking and harassment.

Detective Superintendent Nicky Seager said: “We want to make it clear: it is serious and it does matter. 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.

“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.”

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

Shockingly, 95% 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.

Rebecca (change of name to protect her real identity), a local college student, aged 18, said, “My friends and I didn’t know that this sort of thing was a crime. We often feel that we just have to put up with this sort of behaviour, that it’s part of growing up or being a woman.

“Sometimes we feel like it’s just us and it doesn’t happen to others and we just have to put up with it and cope with the upset and uncomfortable feelings it causes. Those feelings shouldn’t go unnoticed. Cat calling and upskirting and other things should be reported.

“No matter how small it seems or that we are told it doesn’t matter – it does matter.”

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