Police told: Treat attacks on girls as seriously as terror

PRITI PATEL is set to tell police that attacks on women and girls should be given the same priority as tackling terrorism, saying: ‘I do not accept that violence against them is inevitable.’

The Home Secretary’s plan will aim to improve the record low conviction rate for rape, amid scathing criticism of police and criminal prosecutors.

Last week, senior police officers slammed Ms Patel for rejecting attempts to make misogyny a recognised hate crime, like racism and homophobia.

Instead, she is expected to add violence against women and girls to the list of national priorities for police, alongside terrorism, serious and organised crime and child sexual abuse. Chief constables will also be required to allocate more resources to tackling the issue.

The move comes ahead of

Thursday’s first anniversary of the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens. The horrific crime sent shockwaves across the country and sparked demands for more action to combat violence against women.

Ms Patel said: ‘The safety of women and girls is an absolute priority and I do not accept that violence against them is inevitable. That is why last year I commissioned an inspection into the police’s response.’

‘I am pleased to be accepting its major recommendation – to make tackling violence against women and girls a strategic policing requirement – meaning this will now be a national priority.’

The Commons will tomorrow vote on a new crime Bill, but the Home Office has thrown out an amendment that would make misogyny a hate crime, arguing it would be ‘more harmful than helpful’ to victims since it would make prosecutions harder to secure.

Police have come under criticism for the way they treat rape victims, such as the so-called ‘digital strip searches’ in which they trawl through their phone messages and photos.

Official figures published last month revealed there were 63,136 rape offences in the year to September, with just 1.3 per cent resulting in prosecutions.

Victims’ Commissioner Dame Vera Baird said the charging rates were so low they were ‘barely discernible’ and accused Max Hill, the head of the Crown Prosecution Service, of overseeing ‘the most catastrophic period in CPS history’.