Source · Select Committees · Home Affairs Committee
Recommendation 15
15
Deferred
Paragraph: 102
Encourage police forces to establish specialist rape teams and provide necessary support.
Recommendation
The Government must strongly encourage police forces without specialist police rape teams to put such teams in place. Since the policing of violence against women and girls is to be added to the Strategic Policing Requirement, putting specialist police rape teams in place would be a powerful way to demonstrate the priority that should be given to tackling violence against women and girls. The Government should, for example, make clear in the next Rape Review Progress Update that it is the Government’s view that forces should have specialist rape teams set up where possible. The Government should work with the College of Policing and National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to understand better the obstacles forces face in putting these teams in place and to provide support to forces committed to forming specialist teams.
Government Response Summary
The government responded by detailing the Victims’ Right to Review scheme, explaining how it provides an opportunity for victims to have their cases reviewed, and outlined its commitment to publishing VRR data and using internal VRR analysis for learning and staff training, but did not address the recommendation for establishing specialist police rape teams.
Paragraph Reference:
102
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
The Victims’ Right to Review (VRR) Scheme, provides victims the opportunity to have their case reviewed, when a ‘qualifying decision’ is made. Where a complainant requests a VRR, the outcome is either that a decision is overturned and a prosecution brought, or, where the Code Test is not met, a letter setting out our full reasons is sent to the complainant. If they believe the decision is unlawful or unreasonable, it is open for them to judicially review the decision. The CPS strongly believes in transparency and accountability and understands the interest in this area of its work and supporting data. The CPS already publishes annual data on VRR receipts and outcomes on the CPS website, with the 2020/21 data published at the end of May 2022. This data covers the number of requests received, and the number of decisions overturned as a result of the VRR scheme. This is broken down by principal offence category. The CPS is also working to enhance its VRR data and plans to publish this on a more frequent basis in the next financial year. In addition to the annual data, the VRR presents an opportunity for internal learning and analysis, with quarterly internal reports produced that cover all cases overturned by the Appeals and Review Unit (Stage Two appeals). Specific reports have also recently been produced setting out common themes and reasons for overturns in rape and serious sexual offence cases, and this information is used to inform the CPS rape and serious sexual offence work programme and staff training.