Click here to watch News 4 coverage

(KMOV) -- The number of rapes reported in St. Louis is up this year and the police chief says that's not necessarily a bad thing.

KMOV

St. Louis Police Chief Joe Mokwa

City police have investigated 54 more rapes this year than in 2005, but to hear the chief's take on it, that’s not because more people were victimized, it's because more victims came forward to report these crimes.

Chief Mokwa made the announcement today as he and representatives of the YWCA and the women's support and community services group unveiled a new plan to encourage sex assault victims to come forward.

The chief was defensive about the city's sex crime statistics, though, insisting the problem has not gotten worse.

Mokwa detailed a three-point plan to further increase the number of reported sex crimes.

The plan involves better training officers to be sex assault first responders, meaning they'd be more sensitive to a victim's needs, a community educational brochure detailing places victims can find help and putting officers in St. Louis middle schools to teach male students their role in reducing sexual violence.

Nationally, it's estimated only 40 percent of rapes are reported to police.