SURGE IN WOMEN ATTACKED BY ACID

Sick crimes soar 75% in just 12 months

- TOM PETTIFOR

ACID crimes have rocketed by 75% in a year, with women increasingly targeted.

Police recorded 1,244 offences involving corrosive liquids in 2023, up from 710 in 2022. Yet just 8% resulted in a suspect being charged.

Some 36% of the crimes were physical attacks. For the past two years more victims are women and girls.

The rest of the crimes involved threats, carrying corrosives, and other serious crimes such as rape or robbery.

Acid Survivors Trust International, which compiled the 2023 police data, said there had been a 69% yearon-year rise in 2022.

Executive director Jaf Shah said: "Acid violence is an escalating problem in our country, with women increasingly at risk."

He wants the next government to boost funding for prevention initiatives.