Consistent police approach to rape promised

The Home Office has pledged to increase the rape conviction rate by ensuring a consistent police approach.

Crime reduction minister Vernon Coaker announced an agreement with the Association of Chief Police Officers on Wednesday under which all alleged rapes will be investigated, taken seriously and handled sensitively.

Rape conviction rates are among the worst of all crimes, at around just six per cent.

Only an estimated 15 per cent of cases are reported to the police, of which 70 per cent are lost before they get to court.

This is despite the fact that five per cent of all women have experienced rape.

Coaker said: "Rape is one of the most serious and devastating crimes. We know that it remains under-reported and we are determined to improve this and increase the conviction rate.

"We have made great progress. Specially trained officers and prosecutors now operate in every area, training and guidance for the police has been updated and a team of experts have visited every force to put together tailored action plans.

"The challenge now is to keep up the focus on this work and ensure that the policies and procedures that have been developed are being implemented consistently.

"Every force has a responsibility to ensure that every single officer who comes into contact with a rape victim is supportive and believes the victim. It may only take the raising of an eyebrow to cause her to lose courage."

ACPO lead on rape John Yates, an assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said: "Every inspection and review in recent years has agreed that in the UK we have great examples of best practice and some of the best training in the world available to those investigating rape.

"In recent years we have made significant advances in the way we approach investigation of this difficult offence, but despite that, delivery remains inconsistent and there is much more to do.

"Rape is a uniquely difficult crime to investigate. Most cases involve people who know each other where consent is the issue.

"But the fact that it's difficult means we need to up our game and redouble our efforts to ensure victims can have confidence in the way they are approached by those working in the criminal justice system.

"My task is ensure colleagues across the country recognise the challenges and devote the proper resources to meeting them. We are determined to ensure the best possible standards are reached and applied uniformly across the country."