Postcode lottery for victims of rape continues with a growing gap in conviction rates between police force areas

Fawcett Society press release, 10th June 2009

The Fawcett Society has obtained the latest available figures on rape conviction rates from the Government (2) which demonstrate that the postcode lottery for victims of rape continues.

Fawcett has produced a map of England and Wales plotting the changes in the rape conviction
rates since 2006. Click here to download the map

The figures demonstrate a growing gap between police force areas – women who report rape are more than eleven times more likely to secure a conviction for rape in some areas than others:

• In Cleveland almost one in five reported rapes led to a conviction for rape
• In Dorset, less than one in sixty women who report rape secured a conviction for rape.(3)

Worryingly, the rape conviction rates between 2006 and 2007 fell in 16 out of 42 police force areas.

Some police force areas have demonstrated that improvement is possible – Cleveland has shown continued improvement since 2004: 7.75% (2004); 13.2% (2006); and 18.1% (2007).

However, in many forces performance remains poor – 12 police force areas, more than one in four, had a rape conviction rate of less than five percent in 2007. (4)

Katherine Rake, Director of the Fawcett Society, commented:

“The appalling figures in most police force areas reveal that women continue to face a postcode lottery when reporting rape to the police. Rape should be treated with the same professionalism as other crimes with consistency in initial response to victims and investigation across police areas. Cooperation between the police and the CPS is also crucial if the prosecution of rape cases is to improve.”

“It is a national scandal that thousands of victims have no access to justice, and frequently face a culture of disbelief and delayed responses which may lead to the loss of vital evidence. There is also patchy provision of support services for women who have experienced rape across England and Wales, particularly in rural areas (5). Women deserve support, safety and justice from the criminal justice system and this is not being delivered.”

Detective Chief Inspector Alastair Simpson, Cleveland Police, said:

“Cleveland Police have worked closely with partners including the Crown Prosecution Service, Primary Care Trust and voluntary sector support agencies to improve our response to victims of rape.

“Within the Force we have given a number of officers specialist training to deal with victims of rape and these officers are always deployed whenever an allegation of rape is received.

“The opening of the Sexual Assault Referral Centre in 2007 has also been a big step forward in improving victim care.

 “Cleveland Police take all allegations of rape seriously. Every allegation is treated as a serious crime enquiry and is investigated thoroughly.

What needs to change? (6)

• The Government needs to drive cultural change within the criminal justice system, to ensure that rape is given a high priority by the CPS and every police force in the country.

• Specific training aimed at frontline staff within the police and the CPS to change attitudes towards rape, and improve initial responses to women and early evidence collection must be rolled out in every police force area.

• Joint targets for the CPS and the police should be developed to incentivise them to work together and develop a national strategy towards rape and other serious sexual violence offences.

• Public attitudes towards rape, which are then reflected in the criminal justice system, urgently need to change. We are calling on the Government to fund a national awareness-raising campaign on rape and sexual violence to target these unacceptable attitudes.

• The Government must also commit to long term funding for violence against women service provision, including a national network of rape crisis centres and a 24 hour helpline.

• The Violence against Women strategy being driven by the Home Office offers an opportunity for a cross-government integrated and strategic approach to ending the injustices faced by rape victims. This opportunity must not be missed.

Notes to editors
(1) The Fawcett Society is the UK’s leading campaign for equality between women and men www.fawcettsociety.org.uk

(2) See table below. Figures obtained by request from the Ministry of Justice.
Sources: Court Proceedings data: Court Proceedings database – Office for Criminal Justice Reform, Ministry of Justice Recorded Crime data: Home Office Recorded Crime data

(3) The conviction rates obtained by the Fawcett Society represent defendants who were prosecuted for rape and convicted of rape offences. It does not represent those offenders who were prosecuted for rape and then, following trial, convicted for another offence other than rape.

(4) While other performance measures are crucial such as the satisfaction, safety and support experienced by victims, conviction rates also remain important in that they may deter perpetrators and encourage victims to have confidence in the delivery of justice.

(5) See Map of Gaps 2: The Postcode Lottery of Violence Against Women support services in Britain, End Violence Against Women and Equality and Human Rights Commission, January 2009, http://www.mapofgaps.org/

(6) For further detail see recommendations from the recent report of Fawcett’s Commission on Women and the Criminal Justice System. Report and executive summary available for download at: http://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/index.asp?PageID=933. Evidence collected by the Commission demonstrated that throughout the criminal justice system female offenders, female victims of crime and women workers continue to face discrimination in a system designed for men by men.

Regional Rape Convictions by Police Force Area: 2006 - 2007*

* Figures obtained by request from the Ministry of Justice.

Sources: Court Proceedings data: Court Proceedings database – Office for Criminal Justice Reform, Ministry of Justice Recorded Crime data: Home Office Recorded Crime data

** Includes City of London