New data, released today by the charity Acid Survivors Trust International (ASTI), exposes the alarming 69% rise in the number of violent acid attacks across England and Wales from 421 in 2021 to 720 in 2022.
But according to the charity, the real figure is likely to be far higher, with a number of key police forces, including Thames Valley Police, not responding to the requests.
The attacks are a form of violent assault and involve throwing acid or a similarly corrosive substance onto someone’s body with the intention to harm or kill. The effects are instant and excruciating pain, and injuries cause life-changing disabilities.
The charity says acid attacks peaked in 2017, with 941 recorded cases, but had steadily dropped following the Offensive Weapons Act coming into effect and the introduction of stricter controls on the availability of acid and other corrosive substances, alongside increased public awareness around the repercussions that perpetrators face if caught.
Such attacks in the UK have been historically linked with gang violence, with most victims being male, but the trend has now reversed, with the number of female victims surpassing male victims for the first time.
This signals a rise in violence against women and girls, which has been labelled as “a national threat” by the UK Government.
On a regional level, the highest number of attacks can be seen in Northumbria, which is followed by London.
Beyond the devastating impact that acid attacks have on the victim, they also bare a considerable economic cost to society. According to economic research commissioned by ASTI and conducted by Frontier Economics, a single attack costs £63,000 – this includes the medical and psychosocial support that victims require, in addition to the costs to the police, and the judicial and penal systems.
This means that in 2022, the economic cost of all attacks was over £44million. Over the six years that ASTI has recorded data, the total cost has risen to almost a quarter of a billion pounds.
In response to the growing number of attacks, ASTI is launching Project Irreversible, a prevention initiative which will educate young people on the risks and consequences of acid violence on both victim and perpetrator.
The project will be delivered through a series of workshops with young people at risk, and with the help of a digital graphic novel created by ASTI. The novel tells three stories centred around acid attacks and focuses largely on perpetrators.
Jaf Shah, executive director at ASTI, said: “The UK has the highest number of recorded attacks in the world, and the need for prevention is greater than ever. We know that the best way to end acid violence is to prevent it from happening in the first place, by addressing its root causes. This is where Project Irreversible steps in, by educating and engaging with young people at risk, to ensure that they understand the risks and consequences of acid attacks.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Alexis Boon, NPCC lead for corrosive substances, said: “The use of corrosive substances to commit crime devastates lives, often inflicting serious injuries and causing psychological trauma to survivors that will last a lifetime. Through education, we need to make sure people understand the appalling consequences of such crimes, to those subject to such attacks, their families, and the perpetrator themselves, in order to prevent these crimes happening in the first place.”
