LONDON 

More than 280,000 crimes in England and Wales went unrecorded by police last year, with violent crime being the most likely to go unreported, according to the official inspectorate.

According to a new report released on Thursday by the Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS), approximately 5% of crimes reported to officers during the fiscal year ending March 31 were not recorded.

While crime recording has improved substantially—rising from 80.5% in 2014 to about 95% today—inspectors said there remain serious gaps, particularly in categories of violence that disproportionately affect women.

Harassment, stalking, and controlling or coercive behavior accounted for 37.9% of all violent crimes that went unreported.

Unrecorded crimes are incidents that are reported to the police but are not formally logged as offenses, which often results in no further action being taken.

According to the inspectorate's rules, an incident should be recorded as a crime if it meets the legal threshold and there is "no credible evidence" to contradict its occurrence.

The Metropolitan Police Department notes that if an allegation is made but the reporting officer knows it to be false, they may decide not to record a crime—but they must justify their decision and notify the victim.

The report said these crimes disproportionately affect women and girls and account for 37.9% of unrecorded violent crime.