‘Significant progress’ in response to rape, report shows

The Government says it is “on track” to meet its Rape Review target to more than double the number of adult rape cases reaching court by the end of this parliament, although it says there is “much more to be done”.

Eighteen months on from the Government’s Rape Review Action plan – which sought to increase the volumes of trials being heard and ensure more rapists face justice – “significant progress” is being made according to the latest summary.

The most recent data for 2022 shows the number of cases referred by the police to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) was up 95 per cent; the volume of cases charged was up by two-thirds; and the number of cases reaching the Crown Court was up 91 per cent, compared with 2019 averages.

There were 901 total police referrals in the second quarter of 2022, while 402 rape suspects were charged in the second quarter of this year, up by 65 per cent from the quarterly average in 2019.

Adult rape convictions have also increased, up by 65 per cent in the year to June 2022 compared with the year before and up by 41 per cent compared with the year to June 2019.

These figures come a week after the announcement of the first national 24/7 rape support line – the latest way in which the system is being drastically improved to better serve victims and justice.

From this enhanced initial support, victims are also benefitting from better collaboration between the police and prosecutors and less intrusive investigations, along with greater support through the court process, says the report.

Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Dominic Raab said: “Rape convictions are up two-thirds since last year and the number of CPS charges is also up by nearly two thirds from 2019.

“But I want to make sure victims are properly supported throughout the criminal justice process. That is why we introduced a 24/7 rape and sexual abuse helpline, pre-recording of evidence in court to spare them the trauma of testifying during a live trial, and a new approach to police investigations that focuses on the behaviour of the suspect rather than the victim.

This progress is set out in an update on the reforms to the response to rape, published on Thursday. Since the publication of the Rape Review Action plan in June 2021, the Government says it has:

• Rolled out pre-recorded evidence for rape victims to every Crown Court in England and Wales, sparing them the trauma of testifying during live trial;
• Launched a 24/7 rape support line to provide victims access to vital help and information whenever they need it;
• Expanded Operation Soteria to a further 14 police forces and to three new CPS areas;
• Passed new laws via the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act (2022) to stop unnecessary and intrusive requests for victims’ phones, with the majority of forces in position to ensure no victim should be without their devices for more than 24hrs by the end of March 2023;
• Consulted on further reducing requests for personal information, such as medical or social services records, with next steps being published shortly;
• Launched a specialist sexual violence support pilot at three Crown Courts – Leeds Newcastle, and Snaresbrook in London. It seeks to provide victims with enhanced at-court support and help increase throughput of cases. It includes the introduction of trauma-informed training for court staff, maximising the use of technology, and access to ISVAs at court;
• Quadrupled funding for victim support services to £192 million a year by 2025, this includes investment for the recruitment of 1,000 independent sexual violence advisers; and
• Amended the Online Safety Bill to better protect victims from abusers who share intimate images without consent.

“This work is starting to deliver results,” said the Home Office. “In 2021, the number of rape convictions increased by 67 per cent compared to 2020, and the CPS is making charging decisions on average 29 days quicker according to the latest data available.”

The latest update comes as the Home Office publishes an independent report outlining the findings on Operation Soteria, which brings together academics and police to improve rape case outcomes and aims to radically transform the way police and the CPS deal with rape – shifting the focus onto the suspect, rather than the victim.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: “We need radical improvement in the way police handle rape cases. As a society, too often, we have failed the victims of sexual violence and that cannot continue.

“This independent report shows that there are big obstacles to overcome and the whole of the criminal justice system needs to work together.

“But there are also early signs of improvement and I’m determined to build on these to deliver a sustainable shift in the way rape is investigated.”

Academics were brought into five ‘pathfinder’ police forces to work alongside frontline police officers and develop new tools for improvement – Avon and Somerset Constabulary, the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), Durham Constabulary, West Midlands Police and South Wales Police.

The Home Office says early indicators of change can already be seen, including stronger collaboration with prosecutors, improved organisational capability and more specialist knowledge of sexual offending being applied to investigations. A further 14 forces are now participating in the programme.

The national operating model will be tested and refined before being made available to all police forces nationwide from June 2023.

Chief Constable Sarah Crew, National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for adult sexual offences said: “Uncovering deep-rooted and systemic issues within policing is the first big milestone in achieving the transformational change required to improve the policing response to rape.

“Everyone in policing recognises that we must do better and this programme has been met with a genuine willingness and openness to change.

“The evidence tells as that building specialist knowledge, supported by critical thinking and a problem-solving mindset are among the most important changes we can make to tighten our grip on offenders and address falling conviction rates. Officers must target rapists by focusing on suspects – not the credibility of victims – and using their legal and policing powers to disrupt offenders and further harm.

“We are seeing green shoots of change in pathfinder forces and after 18 months, Avon and Somerset have increasing their adult rape charge rate from three per cent to over ten per cent. Improvements are being made at pace in pathfinder forces and I am confident this work will lead to the sustainable progress victims so desperately deserve.”

This new approach was first trialled as Project Bluestone within Avon and Somerset Police Constabulary from January to March 2021, funded by the Home Office, and was the blueprint for Operation Soteria Bluestone.

After findings showing a link between officer burnout and their confidence in using the right investigative strategies, Durham Constabulary rolled out additional wellbeing measures for investigative teams, including specialist trauma impact support training and peer led trauma informed support.

Strategic adviser for Operation Soteria Bluestone, Professor Betsy Stanko OBE, and joint academic lead Professor Katrin Hohl said: “This genuine collaboration has provided unprecedented data access, enabling the academic team to form a holistic, nuanced picture of how pathfinder forces tackle rape and other sexual offending.

“Some of our research highlights issues raised by campaign groups and replicate findings of earlier work, including those of the end-to-end rape review, while others are new.

“Our evidence informed and research grounded approach forms a robust evidence base, which sits at the heart of Operation Soteria Bluestone.

“The police-academic co-created solutions are starting to have traction, but our findings make clear the need for transformational change, there is lots of work to do.”

Emily Hunt, survivor and independent adviser to the Government on the Rape Review, added: “This is only the start of the step-change we need to make to truly tackle sexual violence.

“While important progress is being made, we cannot rest on our laurels and must continue to ensure victims of rape aren’t just heard, believed and supported, but also have a better chance to see justice done.”

Commander Kevin Southworth, who is responsible for public protection at the MPS, said: “The Met is committed to transforming its response to rape.

“We are working hard to boost detection rates, cut the backlog of cases and reduce the amount of time victim-survivors spend waiting for justice.

“We are also better supporting investigations and working more closely with partners including independent sexual violence advisers, prosecutors and the NHS.”

He said the sanction detention rate for rape in the MPS is currently 5.7 per cent, which is above the national average and steadily increasing.

“There is much more work to do but this is the highest figure for several years,” said the force.

The MPS said it is undertaking a series of measures to improve victim-survivors’ trust and confidence, as well as the number of cases brought to court.

These include expediting digital forensic and judicial processes, investing £11 million in digital forensics, a new agreement between police and prosecutors to work much closer in the initial stages of investigations and additional funding for lengthy, ongoing investigations.

The MPS added that it is also working with multi-agency scrutiny panels and others to check police decisions to take no further action and ensure the focus is on the actions of suspected offenders, not victim-survivors.