Scathing report condemns UK police for victim blaming in rape cases | Rape and sexual assault

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A damning official review of how police forces tackle rape has revealed persistent failures in the criminal justice system, including failure to track repeat suspects, explicit victim blaming and botched investigations.

The long-awaited independent report into the first year of Operation Soteria Bluestone launched by the government after a catastrophic drop in rape prosecutions also paints a picture of an overworked, traumatized and inexperienced police force in England and Wales, who is struggling to cope with a rise in rape reports after years of austerity.

The report whose findings were accepted by the Home Office analyzes 80,000 reports of rape across five forces, includes deep dives into police data and reveals detailed discussions with officers. This is one of the first times that academics have had access to such a wide range of police records and have worked with select forces to understand how investigations unfold.

It comes as the Justice Department said the most recent data showed significant improvements 18 months after the government’s review of rape in the rape prosecution crisis. The Ministry of Justice said police referrals to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had increased by 95%, cases had been charged by two-thirds and the number of cases reaching court had increased by 91% compared to 2019 quarterly averages. In 2019, there were 2,102 prosecutions. the lowest level recorded.

But the 191-page report, which contains anonymized evidence from police officers, will make uncomfortable reading for police chiefs and government ministers.

The report says officers lack specialist knowledge and some did not rely on inaccurate perceptions of the victim’s credibility, the overwhelming direction of travel. [was] still dependent on an inaccurate understanding of victims and offenders.

He said: At worst, officers demonstrated explicit victim blaming and a lack of trust in the victim, which impacted the subsequent investigation. For example, the credibility of victims was often put forward and used to close or not investigate cases within certain forces.

Academics have also found serving officers who do not think [sexual offences] should be a priority for the police.

Some said they believe most reports of rape are just examples of regrettable sex, or if victims have additional issues, such as mental health issues or alcohol/drug abuse. substances, so it was the victims’ problem and the justice system was not obligated to protect them, the report said.

The report angered women’s groups with Andrea Simon, director of the End Violence Against Women coalition, saying it exposed the underside of the police and the extent to which the police are failing women and girls. Jayne Butler, CEO of Rape Crisis England and Wales, said it exposed the most fundamental flaws.

The report also found that checks to see if suspects had previously been reported were not always done, despite the fact that researchers found that across all five forces, more than half of named suspects had criminal histories for a series of offenses and one in four had a history of sexual offences.

The report highlights that officers are struggling to cope with workload and emotional trauma and need support. A bespoke survey found burnout was higher than among NHS staff in the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic.

None of the forces had the necessary data systems, analysts or analytical capabilities, and several found vacancies for specialized sex crimes units difficult to fill, the report said. An officer who previously worked at CID said he used to view sex offense cases as pink and fluffy because they were victim-focused, and shunned them in favor of burglary and robbery. robbery.

The dismantling of specialist units during austerity has led to a deprofessionalisation of the role of investigating rape and other sexual crimes and a lack of learning and development undermines any force’s ability to improve the skills of officers.

Inexperience was common in all five forces examined. One officer said: I think my team alone is about 80% people with less than two years of service. And when a labor for sex offense comes up, there’s almost like this panic like Oh my God, what am I doing.

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The report also provides rarely seen detailed data on the tens of thousands of cases it reviewed. It found that about a third of police-recorded rapes examined were also related to domestic violence, rape charge rates varied across local police areas within pilot forces, and charge rates were lower. for cases involving partners and former partners.

Professor Betsy Stanko, co-lead academic, said the report was intended for difficult reading, but said it took courage from the forces involved. I was amazed at the bravery and honesty of many officers who are determined to change this area of ​​work, she said.

At this point, it’s not getting worse, it’s getting better. The conversation we sparked got people thinking about what they’re doing and how they could improve.

Interior Minister Suella Braverman said the report showed there were big hurdles to overcome, but said there were early signs of improvement, adding: I am determined to build on these to bring about lasting change in the way rape is investigated.

Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said the government had launched a 24/7 helpline allowing victims to pre-register evidence and introduced a new approach to police investigations which focuses on the behavior of the suspect rather than the victim.

Reacting to the report, Labor Shadow Justice Secretary Steve Reed said that after 12 years under the Tories women did not feel safe and sexual violence and rape had been effectively decriminalised.

Chief Constable Sarah Crew, head of the National Police Chiefs Council for Adult Sexual Offenses, said her Avon and Somerset force, which first introduced the pilot and implemented changes based on academics’ findings, had increased its adult rape charge rate from 3% to more than 10%.

Uncovering deep-rooted and systemic issues within policing is the first big step in achieving the transformational change needed to improve the police response to rape, she said. Everyone in policing recognizes that we need to do better and this program has been met with genuine will and openness to change.

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