Joint working between police and CPS sees rise in rape referrals

The latest quarterly statistics from the CPS show rape charges have increased to 72.8 per cent, with rape referrals from police forces up by ten per cent.

Max Hill KC, Director of Public Prosecutions, said the figures are already beginning to show the “benefits of better joint working” under its national blueprint for prosecuting rape and serious sexual offences.

It comes as police and the CPS commit to a new programme of joint working to drive improvements right across England and Wales.

The CPS said the refreshed commitment – under the Joint National Action Plan – “doubles down on the pledge for police and prosecutors to work together earlier to build strong cases which can pass swiftly through the justice system”.

It added that a “significant amount of work” has taken place to transform the way rape cases are handled and this will be used to inform an “ambitious, national operating model for these offences next year”.

This work has already led to an increase in the number of rape referrals from the police to the CPS and in charges.

Mr Hill said: “It is only through genuine partnership between CPS and police that we will deliver justice for more victims of these devastating offences.

“We are seeing the benefits of better joint working – we are building stronger cases and file quality is improving – which is reflected by the increase in referrals and charges.

“Our teams are testing a range of new approaches so we can design the most effective way of collaborating on rape investigation and prosecutions with support from academic insight.

“This joint working is at the heart of our work to bring change right across the country, so our service is consistent and compassionate for all.”

The joint action plan was first launched in January 2021 and has been an important foundation in overhauling how sexual offences are investigated and prosecuted.

It is one strand of work to test the best methods for joint working so the new blueprint – called the national operating model – can be available to all areas next year.

Since its launch, 22 commitments have been met, including:

• An improvement in working relationships between police and CPS and the prioritisation of early advice so strong cases can be built as early as possible;
• Improvements have been made to victim communication including a pledge for more frequent contact and a clear guide – called a digital walk-through – to explain the justice process;
• Performance data has been used with a critical thinking approach and joint meetings set up to identify areas of focus; and
• The partnership between ISVAs, the CPS and police has been strengthened to make sure support for victims is better coordinated through the national ISVA framework.

As well as the National Action Plan, work is progressing on Operation Soteria, a joint programme aimed at revolutionising the way police and prosecutors investigate rape cases.

The new pilot is testing innovative new approaches to find the best methods for driving results. So far, nine CPS areas and five forces are taking part with a further 14 due to join, before being rolled out across the nation.

Sarah Crew, chief constable of Avon and Somerset Constabulary and National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for adult sex offences, said: “Working effectively together we have the potential to be so much more than the sum of our parts – refreshing this commitment is a vital step in our journey.

“Police going to CPS earlier and more often will lead to a rise in referrals to CPS. This means more charging decisions leading to more trials and more convictions.

“Early advice helps us use our joint resources more effectively and significantly increase the number of cases going to court.

“Through Operation Soteria, the impact of this better joint working is clear, and we are building strong evidence base for how forces across the country can help transform the way they work.”

She said the refreshed plan sets out actions that will drive a consistent high standard of investigating and prosecuting rape, providing a foundation to deliver on the insight of Operation Soteria.

Both the police and CPS are focused on embedding these changes and building stronger cases as early as possible through an offender-centric approach.

Additional actions include developing and delivering joint rape and serious sexual offences learning in key areas such as the impact of trauma, decision-making and the changing nature of sexual behaviours, as well as developing a forensic evidence toolkit.

The Association of Police and Crime Commissioners joint leads for victims, Donna Jones and Sophie Linden, said: “The blueprint represents a necessary step forward in the relationship between policing and the CPS.

“The public rightly expect that the police and justice service should be working together effectively to achieve better and more timely outcomes for victims of crime. For too long they have not.

“Charging rates are increasing nationally but remain far too low. It is right that policing and the CPS are gripping this issue and taking action to improve the situation, through initiatives like Operation Soteria.

“As PCCs our role is to work with and hold the police and other agencies to account for the services they deliver on behalf of the public. We will continue to do so.”

The CPS quarterly statistics show that in addition to rape, charge rates across all crimes have  increased by 2.3 percentage points to 78.8 per cent.

Charge rates for domestic abuse have increased from 72.6 per cent to 77.2 per cent, while the hate crime charge rate has increased by 2.4 percentage points to 87.3 per cent.

However, completed prosecutions for rape cases were down by 7.9 per cent, from 675 to 622.

This quarter has seen the first increase in overall caseload since the peak of the pandemic in summer 2021, increasing by 2.3 per cent.