There were 31,423 blackmail offences reported by the police in England and Wales in 2022/23. Between 2002/03 and 2013/14 the number of blackmail offences fluctuated from a low of 1,201 in 2007/08 and a high of 2,481. From 2014/15 onwards, however, the number of offences has increased dramatically, reaching a peak in the most reporting year. This rise in blackmail has also occurred in Scotland, which saw extortion crimes reach 2,008 offences in 2022/23, compared with just 441 in 2019/20. In Northern Ireland, there were 937 blackmail offences, compared with 266 in 2019/20.
What is driving the increase in blackmail?
The steep rise in blackmail and extortion offences in recent years is likely related to the proliferation of cyber crime in the United Kingdom. In a 2019 survey for example, five percent of respondents reported being the victims of device hacking-related extortion at least once. A 2023 global survey on cybercrime, also revealed that around a quarter of respondents had been the victim of an extortion e-mail scam. Extortion based on the threat to distribute intimate images, or sextortion, is another aspect of the increase in blackmail crime. There has been a steep rise in the number of revenge porn reports, with women in particular being targeted by online intimate image abuse.
Crime on the rise since the mid-2010s
While not rising as dramatically as blackmail offences, overall crime in England and Wales has also grown in recent years. In 2022/23, for example, there were 6.74 million crime offences, compared with just 4.03 million in 2013/14. Although there are undoubtedly several factors that have influenced this overall rise in crime, the cuts to police funding between 2009/10 and 2016/17, along with the decline in police officers that occurred as a result are certainly two of the most important reasons.
Number of blackmail offences recorded in England and Wales from 2002/03 to 2022/23
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Office for National Statistics (UK). (July 20, 2023). Number of blackmail offences recorded in England and Wales from 2002/03 to 2022/23 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved July 03, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/303565/blackmail-in-england-and-wales-uk-y-on-y/
Office for National Statistics (UK). "Number of blackmail offences recorded in England and Wales from 2002/03 to 2022/23." Chart. July 20, 2023. Statista. Accessed July 03, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/303565/blackmail-in-england-and-wales-uk-y-on-y/
Office for National Statistics (UK). (2023). Number of blackmail offences recorded in England and Wales from 2002/03 to 2022/23. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: July 03, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/303565/blackmail-in-england-and-wales-uk-y-on-y/
Office for National Statistics (UK). "Number of Blackmail Offences Recorded in England and Wales from 2002/03 to 2022/23." Statista, Statista Inc., 20 Jul 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/303565/blackmail-in-england-and-wales-uk-y-on-y/
Office for National Statistics (UK), Number of blackmail offences recorded in England and Wales from 2002/03 to 2022/23 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/303565/blackmail-in-england-and-wales-uk-y-on-y/ (last visited July 03, 2024)
Number of blackmail offences recorded in England and Wales from 2002/03 to 2022/23 [Graph], Office for National Statistics (UK), July 20, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/303565/blackmail-in-england-and-wales-uk-y-on-y/