DEVON & Cornwall Police have responded to NSPCC figures showing an increase

in reports of sexual abuse involving children.

The child protection charity reveals that reports have risen from 747 in 2012-13 to 1,125 in 2013-14.

However, the head of Devon & Cornwall Police's public protection unit has said the figures do not necessarily show a rise in sexual abuse in the area.

Detective superintendent Paul Northcott said: 'It's important to highlight that the figures quoted by the NSPCC specify the age of the victim when the crime took place, and not their age when they reported this to Devon & Cornwall Police.

'Looking at the figures from April 2013 through to March 2014, around a third of these crimes are of a historic nature, where a person has found the courage to come forward to report this to us, and in some cases decades after the initial crime took place.

'Therefore these figures don't necessarily show that there's a rise in sexual abuse in our area, but more a confidence in victims to come ­forward and no longer suffer in silence.

'Devon & Cornwall Police actively encourage the reporting of all sexual offences and are determined to provide the best possible service to the ­victims.

'We have specialist sexual offence and domestic abuse investigation teams, dedicated child-protection teams and sexual offence liaison officers to ensure victims are properly supported by the police.

'We continually monitor our performance in respect of this type of crime and work hard with our partners, including those in the health and the criminal justice systems, to ensure we improve constantly our investigations and the service we provide to victims.

'Devon & Cornwall Police is committed to supporting victims of sexual abuse, no matter when the crime took place, and we'll work tirelessly to ensure offenders are brought to justice.'

The NSPCC figures have come as a result of Freedom of Information Act requests to police forces nationwide.