Assistant Chief Constable Catherine Hankinson: Rape is a priority offence

“BEING A victim of rape is one of the most traumatic experiences it is possible to imagine and it is a priority offence for West Yorkshire Police.

We have seen a significant increase in reports of rape in recent years.

Part of this increase can be attributed to better crime recording and also to a greater willingness for victims to come forward. This is something we wholly encourage and I cannot stress how important it is for victims to contact us, regardless of when they were offended against. Reporting gives us chance to safeguard victims and we must and do need to thoroughly investigate those who are accused of these offences. Victims may also be in need of immediate medical treatment and will most likely also desperately need emotional and psychological support as they seek to cope with the devastating impact of these offences. All offences are investigated by officers who are specially trained to support victims and who can, if victims give their consent, put them in contact with the specialist organisations and partner agencies we work with who can offer support. With regards to managing investigations, we are undertaking a detailed piece of work to help us understand this large increase in recorded offending and increase the number of cases we refer to the CPS for charging decisions. The force has a special ‘gatekeeper’ role in which an experienced senior detective reviews the quality of investigations and file submissions, and is also part of a national review with partners including other police forces, the CPS and the Home Office to improve the experience of a victim going through the criminal justice process, It should be stated that prosecutions are going through the courts and persons are being brought to justice for these offences. I realise there are improvements to be made and as a victim focussed organisation we want to achieve the best possible outcome for each victim and delivering that in more cases is a priority for the force.”