Women's lack of faith in the police hitting prosecutions

Women’s lack of faith in the police hitting prosecutions, as figures show more than a third of investigations into violence against female victims are dropped

• One in three investigations into violence against women dropped, report shows
• This is due to women losing faith in police, despite the suspect being identified

One in three investigations into violence against women are dropped because of victims losing faith in police despite a suspect being identified, figures show.

A national police report revealed 38 per cent of female victims withdrew from investigations despite officers knowing their alleged attacker’s name.

The data – the first of its kind released by the National Police Chiefs’ Council – showed 45 per cent of completed rape investigations in England and Wales were abandoned due to a lack of faith in police.

From October 2021 to March 2022 163,404 cases of violence and sexual offences against women and girls were closed by police due to lack of support from victims.

Yesterday deputy chief constable Maggie Blyth, NPCC co-ordinator for violence against women and girls, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘We know that policing has lost the trust of many women and girls across the country.’

One in three investigations into violence against women are dropped because of victims losing faith in police despite a suspect being identified, figures show. [File image] 

A national police report revealed 38 per cent of female victims withdrew from investigations despite officers knowing their alleged attacker’s name. [File image] 

The high attrition rate may be explained by the time victims are waiting for police to investigate their crimes. The average time between a crime being reported and police ‘assigning an outcome’ in child rape cases was nearly five months, while adult victims waited 96 days.

Farah Nazeer, chief executive of Women’s Aid, said: ‘These statistics have deeply worrying implications for women’s already low levels of trust in the criminal justice system.’

A spokesman for the NPCC said: ‘There is action already underway to ensure suspect-focused investigations, speed up investigation processes and improve the victim experience.’

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