Number Of Acid Attacks Up By 30% In Two Years

Police forces across the UK have recorded more than 500 offences in which people were injured or threatened with harmful substances since 2012.

The figures obtained by the Press Association show there were 242 reports of violent crime which mentioned acid or other corrosive substances across 23 forces in 2014 and 2015.

This is compared to 186 alleged offences in 2012 and 2013.

Wayne Ingold had sulphuric acid thrown in his face at his block of flats in Witham, Essex.

The 57-year-old father-of-two was targeted in a case of mistaken identity.

He said: "There has to be a stronger deterrent because these crimes are on the rise. It's got ridiculous now. One day someone will get killed.

"We had gun crime and knife crime - acid seems to be a cheaper alternative.

"How would these people feel if a member of their family was the victim?"

The Press Association submitted Freedom of Information requests to all UK police forces, asking how many assaults had been recorded involving acid or other corrosive substances since 2012.

Some gave details of all crime reports mentioning corrosive liquids including threats when the substance might not have been used.

Others provided their total number of offences since 2012, but did not give a breakdown for each year.

Overall, 503 offences in which people were injured or threatened with corrosive substances were recorded by forces between 2012 and November 2015.

Jaf Shah, director of the Acid Survivors Trust International, said: "The British Government needs to look into this subject with far greater seriousness to understand why these attacks are occurring and what can be done to prevent them occurring.

"The Colombian government is taking action due to a huge public outcry which in turn led to changes in the law including tighter control on sale of acids and tougher sentencing of attackers.

"The fact that the majority of victims in the UK are men goes against the global pattern where women tend to be victims."

The National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) said such attacks were on the rise in the UK and there were concerns incidents were not being reported.

Deputy Chief Constable Andy Cooke, the NPCC's lead on violence and public protection, said: "Crimes such as this should not go unreported and I would urge anyone who is a victim of this type of attack to report it so that we can deal with the matter positively and sensitively."