It seems that London’s nightlife has taken a dark turn, with new figures showing that reports of rape in London clubs, bars, and pubs as well as the areas surrounding have increased by a staggering 136 per cent over the last five years.

This overtly obscene statistic that was obtained by Broadly from the Metropolitan Police, shows a tremendous increase in the occurrence rape in and around clubs, with figures more than doubling from those reported in April, 2011.

119 cases of other sexual assaults have also been reported to the police from April 2011 to March 2016, with arrests relating to these cases increasing by 66 per cent.

It seems, for the most part, we are seeing an improvement in the number of cases reported and dealt with by the police, with a 90 per cent increase in arrests made specifically in relation to reports of rape.

However, It is still confronting that only 32 per cent of these arrests resulted in criminal charges being brought to the accused during the one year period between 2015 and 2016. This has correlated to a rape conviction charge that floats around 5.7 per cent, meaning that, from those accused only a handful ever see the inside of a prison cell. Perpetuating the normality of sexual assault and harassment in our nightlife areas and venues, with many women seeing these attacks as part of their night out, just like the cab home or the over the top cover charge.

‘Good Night Out’ co-director Bryony Benyon has stated that although she’s never surprised at the reporting rates showing high numbers, she is hopeful that this reflects women feeling more comfortable coming forward, due to campaigns like hers and other innovative approaches like ‘Women’s Safety Charter’.

Detective Superintendent Steve Chandler, of the Sexual Offences, Exploitation, and Child Abuse Command of the Metropolitan Police, stated that he was welcoming of the increase in rape reports, believing that it showed a greater confidence amongst victims.

“All reports of rape are thoroughly investigated and each victim has their case dealt with by a specially trained officer.”