Evidence has found that police officers too often did not believe potential rape victims and thought most sexual assault claims were “sorry sex.”
An independent report from Operation Soteria found that some officers “displayed a disbelieving victim culture.”
He stated that other serving officers did not think that tackling rape and other sexual crimes should be a police priority; some officers believed that most rape reports are cases of “remorseful sex.”
The show found evidence that police took a disproportionate effort to investigate the credibility of rape complainants and “explicitly blame the victim.”
An independent report from Operation Soteria found that some serving officers did not think tackling rape and other sexual crimes should be a police priority. Home Secretary Suella Braverman said the report shows there are “major hurdles to overcome.”
Home Secretary Suella Braverman said the report shows there are “major hurdles to overcome” in the force.
Suella Braverman said: “But there are also early signs of improvement and I am determined to use them to bring about sustainable change in the way rape is investigated.”
The report, published by the Home Office, found that “a disproportionate investigative effort was being made to test the credibility of a victim’s account” in each force.
The report stated: “In the worst case, officers demonstrated explicit victim blame and a lack of faith in the victim, which affected the subsequent investigation.
“For example, the credibility of victims was often focused on and used to close or not investigate cases within some forces.”
He added: “There is an urgent need to challenge internal cultures that undermine fair and equitable investigations into rape.”
It found that police investigators lack sufficient specialized knowledge on sexual crimes, which affects victim participation and the quality and outcome of investigations.
This comes after the government claimed “significant progress” was being made in the way the criminal justice system responds to rape cases.
National Council of Police Chiefs Leader for Adult Sex Crimes, Police Chief Sarah Crew [pictured above] He said the report’s findings, released by the Home Office, are challenging and some are concerning and officers should target rapists by focusing on the suspects, not the credibility of the victims.
The leader of the National Council of Police Chiefs for Adult Sex Crimes, Police Chief Sarah Crew, said many findings are “challenging and some concerning”, adding that the program had been met with “genuine willingness and openness To the change”.
Crew said: “Officers should target rapists by focusing on the suspects, not the credibility of the victims, and using their legal and law enforcement powers to disrupt the offenders and cause further damage.”
The report claimed that processes and procedures “often outpaced” empathetic engagement with victims, while there was “wide variability” in officers’ attitudes, beliefs, and behavior regarding rape and sexual crimes.
Inexperience and “worrying” levels of burnout were also identified.
Andrea Simon, director of the Coalition to End Violence Against Women (EVAW), said: “This report serves to further highlight what women’s organizations have known for a long time – that the cultural issues of misogyny, sexism and racism in surveillance impact whether or not victims have access to justice, as well as the treatment they receive during the process, being disbelieved, blamed and stereotyped.
“This is compounded by serious workforce problems, including a lack of specialization and experience when it comes to investigating rape and other serious sexual crimes, and officers dramatically undermine the seriousness of this violence.”
The Metropolitan Police, which is one of the initial forces involved in the programme, said it is “committed to transforming its response to rape”.
Commander Kevin Southworth said: “We are working hard to increase detection rates, reduce case backlogs and reduce the amount of time victim-survivors spend waiting for justice.”
A separate progress report released by the government said it is “on track” to meet its target of more than doubling the number of adult rape cases reaching the courts by the end of this parliament.
The status report acknowledges that the time it takes for a case to reach the courts has “worsened” and the number of pending cases has increased.
The report cited the strike by the Criminal Lawyers Association as a factor.
A joint foreword, by Justice Secretary Dominic Raab and Victims and Sentencing Minister Ed Argar, reads: ‘A year and a half later, there is reason for cautious optimism.
‘We are making steady and incremental progress.’
Kirsty Brimelow KC, President of the Criminal Bar Association, said: ‘It is encouraging that more cases are coming to court.
‘However, this is basic and whistleblowers are waiting years to be tried.’
He added that there are not enough lawyers to prosecute in trials and quadrupling funding for support is pointless without investing to ensure there are enough lawyers.