Police and CPS told to tackle rape ‘as a team’
POLICE and Crown lawyers have been blasted for playing a blame game over abysmal prosecution rates for rape.
Unless they stop accusing each other over the scandal, survivors will continue to be denied justice, says today’s damning report.
And the police and Crown Prosecution Service both need a fundamental culture change as a matter of urgency, it adds.
There were 52,210 rapes recorded in England and Wales last year. But only 843 resulted in a charge or summons – a rate of 1.6 per cent.
Astonishingly, the report by two official watchdogs showed how police and prosecutors are still not working
together to put rapists behind bars.
Wendy Williams and Anthony Rogers of the inspectorates for the police and CPS said: “It is not news to anyone that rape victims are too often denied justice.
“Many initiatives and reviews are in place to improve this, but their success will depend on joint ownership of the problems and solutions by police and the CPS.
“We found some excellent examples – but also evidence of police and prosecutors blaming each other for low prosecution rates, and pointing to different data to support positions.
“Successful cases rely on working as a team.
“They must stop finger pointing and start working together to ensure victims receive better support and justice is served.”
Many survivors complained of lack of empathy and poor communication, while delays and a focus on their “credibility” led to women withdrawing from the process.The inspectorates added: “This cycle must be broken once and for all.”