Ambition

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There has been a " completely unacceptable" collapse in rape prosecutions in England and Wales despite a record number of cases, MPs say.

The Home Affairs Committee has called for more funding for prosecutions and better support for rape Victims

What do the figures show?

Police in England and Wales recorded 63,136 rape offences in the year to September 2021 - the highest recorded annual figure to date.

These led to just 1,557 prosecutions, compared with 2,102 in the previous 12 Months .

Over The Past Four Years , rape prosecutions in England and Wales have fallen by 70%.

Jayne Butler, of Victims ' charity Rape Crisis says: " The Criminal Justice system is categorically failing rape Victims and survivors and steps from the government to rectify The Situation lack Ambition - They must do more. "

From The Point That A Crime is reported to The Police , to a decision being made In Court , there are A Number of hurdles to be overcome. At each stage, cases are dropped.

As a result, rape prosecutions represent a small percentage of all reported rapes. And an even smaller proportion lead to a Conviction - When someone is found guilty.

So, what is going on?

Gathering evidence

The Police have to gather enough evidence in order to refer a case to The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) - The Body That conducts criminal prosecutions in England and Wales.

But there has been an increase in the amount of evidence to consider - often from phones and Social Media .

This has made these cases more difficult for police, prosecutors and - in many cases - Victims .

Victims ' Commissioner Dame Vera Baird says some Victims withdraw their complaints after being asked to hand over their phones so That data can be downloaded. " They cannot face the unwarranted and unacceptable intrusion into their privacy" she says.

That " no victim is left without a phone for More Than 24 hours, with an Ambition That Victims have their own phones returned within this period, with replacement phones being provided in a minority of cases".

Getting to court

Once a case is referred to it by The Police , the CPS decides whether there is enough evidence to charge a suspect with A Crime . Only After This can it go to court.

In the year to September 2021, just 1. 3% of rape cases recorded by police resulted in a suspect being charged (or receiving a summons).

The CPS has been bringing fewer rape prosecutions over The Past few years, which is partly due to fewer referrals by police. This is thought to be in part a reaction to a Fall In The Number of successful convictions.

The 2020 Victims ' commissioner's report says: " Some police officers say The Reason They made fewer referrals was precisely because They knew That CPS were prosecuting fewer cases. "

In November 2019, it was also revealed the CPS had previously had a introduced in 2016 - That 60% of rape cases should end in a Conviction . It was suggested this may have led prosecutors to drop weaker or more challenging cases. The Target was dropped in 2018.

In Scotland, there were. This Was an increase of 20% from 2016-17. Despite this, just 43% of prosecutions led to a Conviction according to the latest Statistics .

76 suspects were prosecuted for rape, which is an increase of 19% from 2016-17.

Funding cuts

In June 2021, then Justice Secretary Robert Buckland was asked whether government cuts were a factor in low prosecution rates.

He Said : " Like all parts of public service, big choices were made in the Last Decade , because of The Position That we all faced economically and That 's, I think, self-evidently the case. "

That the budget of the CPS was cut by 28% between 2009-10 and 2018-19 after adjusting for inflation.

CPS staff numbers fell too:

Support for Victims

In February 2022, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to support Victims of crime.

Several parts of the funding are for women and girls affected by sexual violence:

reality check, sexual violence, crown prosecution service

Source of news: bbc.com