Home   News   Article

Just 3% of allegations of rape reported to Essex Police end in a conviction




Just 3% of incidents of rape reported to Essex Police end in a conviction.

The force recorded an 11.3% drop – 677 fewer incidents – in sexual violence against females in the year to the end of March (2023-24) compared to the previous 12 months.

Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Roger Hirst said lessons learned from other forces have led to positive results.

Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Roger Hirst: “What we do compared with other police services is good. What we do compared to what the public needs is not.”
Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Roger Hirst: “What we do compared with other police services is good. What we do compared to what the public needs is not.”

The number of rape investigations has gone up threefold. The force has managed to get domestic abuse down by about 15% in that period.

Mr Hirst told an Essex crime panel: “It is still 40% of all the incidents reported to Essex Police. That is far too much, but we have found techniques that work to change perpetrators’ behaviour and support victims better.

“The harsh reality though – and this is why I have in the past asked the chief constable to think further about what we can do to improve our performance around rape and serious sexual assault and why it will be one of the big priorities – is there were 75 successful prosecutions out of a total reported of 2,500.

Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington: “To be victim-centred and suspect-focused...is the phrase we would use.”
Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington: “To be victim-centred and suspect-focused...is the phrase we would use.”

“So you’re talking, about rape itself, of a solved rate of around 3%. Now that, appallingly, compares quite well on a national comparison. But it’s still not where we need to be by a very long way.

“What we do compared with other police services is good. What we do compared to what the public needs is not. And that’s where the chief constable and I rub up on this one.”

Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington said: “We don’t have a particular issue with stranger attacks. What we see is in a relationship or a former relationship. And of course that makes the gathering of evidence very difficult.”

He added: “We focus on the victims. We also focus on the perpetrators, so where we have an individual who we think is committing sexual offending and a victim feels they cannot, for whatever reason, legitimately support the prosecution or the evidence to support it, we are proactive in dealing with those individuals as well where we can bring prosecutions for other means.

“To be victim-centred and suspect-focused...is the phrase we would use.”



This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies - Learn More