Source · Select Committees · Home Affairs Committee
Recommendation 10
10
Deferred
Consider establishing or expanding a dedicated commissioner for sexual violence and abuse with adequate powers
Recommendation
We agree with HMICFRS and HMCPSI that the Government should consider the merits of either establishing a dedicated commissioner for sexual violence and abuse or expanding the existing responsibilities and powers of one of our existing commissioners. The relevant commissioner could then oversee the provision of specialist support services for victims and survivors of sexual violence and abuse, as well as any mapping exercise. Importantly, they could also act to hold the Government and its operational partners to account in improving the response to rape and serious sexual assault. Any change must be backed by adequate resourcing and any future commissioner must have appropriate powers as well. The Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s powers, as laid out in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, could be a good model, with the Act requiring public sector authorities to cooperate with her and to respond to relevant recommendations she puts forward. (Paragraph 77) 78 Investigation and prosecution of rape The police response to rape
Government response summary AI-generated
The government outlined its commitment to improving mobile phone data analysis for rape investigations, including a £5 million rollout of technology and work on selective extraction, and completed a consultation on legal support for victims regarding personal information requests. It did not address the recommendation about establishing a dedicated commissioner.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government · verbatim extract
Deferred
We recognise that there may be benefits to introducing a dedicated commissioner for victims of sexual violence and abuse or expanding the role of an existing commissioner to formally cover this important function. In HMICFRS’s and HMCPSI’s second phase inspection report on the police’s and CPS’s response to rape, the Inspectorates considered that a commissioner with functions specific to sexual violence could: act as an independent voice to speak on behalf of victims and survivors and hold organisations and the Government to account in tackling rape and sexual offences. The Inspectorates tested with stakeholders two approaches for delivering this recommendation, which were the establishment of a new commissioner for sexual offences and the expansion of the remit of an existing commissioner such as the Victims’ Commissioner or Domestic Abuse Commissioner. The proposals were met with differing views from stakeholders, with some expressing a concern that an additional commissioner may further fragment the oversight of the criminal justice system’s response to violence against women and girls, sexual violence and domestic abuse. The Home Office and the Ministry of Justice are working closely together to consider this recommendation and we will update the Committee on progress in due course.
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