text: Experts said the rise in the number of reported rapes and sexual offences was due in part to high profile historic cases like Jimmy Savile's . A surge in the number of sex attacks reported to police has fuelled the first rise in recorded crime for more than a decade. Nearly 3.8million crimes were recorded by police last year, an increase of 2 per cent from 2013, figures released yesterday revealed. And a record number of rapes and other sex crimes were logged – up by a third (32 per cent) to 80,200, or 220 a day. But experts say the rise – the first since 2003-04 – was partly because victims were 'more willing' to report sex crimes, including historical ones, and police were more likely to take complaints seriously, in the wake of the Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal. Fay Maxted, chief executive of the Survivors Trust, which represents more than 130 rape and sexual violence charities, said: 'Under-reporting is a real problem in sexual offence cases. 'One of the effects of Operation Yewtree, in the wake of Savile, has been it has brought sexual cases to the fore. The convictions of Rolf Harris and Stuart Hall have encouraged people to feel justified in coming forward.' The Office for National Statistics, which published the data, said the rise was also due to police recording complaints more accurately after accusations of 'fiddling' figures to meet targets. A police watchdog recently found a fifth of crimes were not being logged properly. The latest ONS figures showed that the number of murders and manslaughter cases in England and Wales has fallen to its lowest level for 38 years. Police recorded 515 homicides last year, 37 fewer than in 2013. But the number of rapes recorded was the highest ever at 26,703, which is an average of 73 attacks every day. Rapes at knifepoint were up by 31 per cent to 311 attacks and there were 53,559 other sexual offences recorded. Violent offences also jumped by 21 per cent to nearly 741,000. The ONS report said of the overall rise in recorded crime: 'This is the first increase since 2003-04 but needs to be seen in the context of the renewed focus on the quality of crime recording.' The high-profile convictions of Rolf Harris (left) and Stuart Hall (right) have made victims feel more confident about coming forward, said campaigners . The number of crimes logged by police is still 20 per cent lower than in 2008-09 – under the last Labour government. The picture was complicated by figures from the Crime Survey of England and Wales, which found a 7 per cent fall in overall crime to 6.9million incidents, the lowest level since 1981. The survey, which looks at people's experiences of crimes, includes incidents not reported to police. But some crimes, such as bank and credit card frauds, are left out, distorting the true rate of offending. Home Secretary Theresa May said the data showed 'police reform is working' and that crime 'has never been lower, meaning families are safer'. But her Labour shadow, Yvette Cooper, claimed that the ONS figures 'expose the shocking complacency of David Cameron and Theresa May over crime and policing'.
target: Nearly 3.8million crimes were recorded by the police last year .
  This represented an increase of 2 per cent from 2013, figures revealed .
  Record number of rapes and other sex crimes were logged - 220 a day .
  Experts chalked the surge down to high profile cases like Jimmy Savile's .