The Guardian
Official concern over a "culture of disbelief" in rape cases has been raised as new figures show that some police forces are writing off up to a third of all allegations reported to them.
A report by the high-powered joint government and police rape monitoring group confirms that a postcode lottery is operating in the way the 43 forces in England and Wales deal with rape allegations.
The figures show that the "no crime" rate for adult rape – the rate at which forces dismiss allegations initially recorded as a crime because of later details that emerge about the case – varies from only 3% in Cumbria to 33% in Lincolnshire.
Seven forces have a "no crime" rate for adult rape of 20% or more: Lincolnshire, Leicestershire (29%), Hertfordshire (21%) and the West Midlands (21%), Cleveland (20%), Derbyshire (20%) and Northumbria (20%). The national average "no crime" rate in adult rape cases is 12%, compared with 2% for all victim-based crime recorded by the police.
Dru Sharpling, HM Inspector of Constabulary (HMIC), who chairs the rape monitoring group, said the figures raised serious questions about whether a culture of disbelief persisted in some police forces when it comes to women making rape allegations. The police watchdog's recent report on the Jimmy Savile affair detailed the difficulties encountered by rape victims in going to the police, including lack of confidence, she said. She added that there might be a range of other explanations for the disparities between forces, but questions over disbelief had to be raised.
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Official concern over a "culture of disbelief" in rape cases has been raised as new figures show that some police forces are writing off up to a third of all allegations reported to them.
A report by the high-powered joint government and police rape monitoring group confirms that a postcode lottery is operating in the way the 43 forces in England and Wales deal with rape allegations.
The figures show that the "no crime" rate for adult rape – the rate at which forces dismiss allegations initially recorded as a crime because of later details that emerge about the case – varies from only 3% in Cumbria to 33% in Lincolnshire.
Seven forces have a "no crime" rate for adult rape of 20% or more: Lincolnshire, Leicestershire (29%), Hertfordshire (21%) and the West Midlands (21%), Cleveland (20%), Derbyshire (20%) and Northumbria (20%). The national average "no crime" rate in adult rape cases is 12%, compared with 2% for all victim-based crime recorded by the police.
Dru Sharpling, HM Inspector of Constabulary (HMIC), who chairs the rape monitoring group, said the figures raised serious questions about whether a culture of disbelief persisted in some police forces when it comes to women making rape allegations. The police watchdog's recent report on the Jimmy Savile affair detailed the difficulties encountered by rape victims in going to the police, including lack of confidence, she said. She added that there might be a range of other explanations for the disparities between forces, but questions over disbelief had to be raised.
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