VICTIMS of rape in Bradford have been urged to have the courage to come forward - on the back of a new protocol about how cases are investigated was revealed.

A joint protocol, created and implemented by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the police was unveiled yesterday, setting out how to deal with all rape cases from the initial complaint to after the verdict in a trial.

The Chief Crown Prosecutor for the CPS in Yorkshire and Humberside, Martin Goldman, welcomed the protocol, despite an expected rise in workload for the service.

Across the Bradford district in the year to the end of last June, the number of rapes and sexual offences reported to the police increased from 624 to 724, an increase of 16 per cent.

Last year across Yorkshire and Humberside, there were 355 prosecutions for rape - a figure that is expected to increase this year.

Mr Goldman said: "Prosecuting rape takes time and high levels of knowledge and expertise as well as a comprehension of the psychological effects of sexual violence and how to challenge myths and stereotypes.

"One of the most effective ways in which we can help victims is by building the strongest case possible from the outset, which is one of the key aims of this joint protocol. This can lead to a guilty plea from the defendant, meaning the victim does not have to appear in court at all.

"Last year, there were 355 prosecutions for rape in Yorkshire and Humberside. That’s expected to rise in the coming year, and we expect this trend to continue.

"In some ways, this increase in cases being prosecuted is encouraging as it means more people have the confidence to come forward and report the fact that they have been raped and we can then work on building a robust case to put before a jury."

Mr Goldman heaped praise on a specialist unit that was set up in the county and was one of the first of its kind in the country.

"One of the recommendations of this joint protocol is the maintenance of specialist Rape and Serious Sexual Offence (RASSO) units across the country," said Mr Goldman.

"The unit in Yorkshire and Humberside is staffed by a team of trained specialist rape prosecutors who have expertise in dealing with sexual offence cases.

"Yorkshire and Humberside has one of the best conviction rates in the country for rapes and sexual offences. In 2013/14, our prosecutors secured convictions in more than 65 per cent of rape cases."

He added: "If you are reading this and you have been the victim of a serious sexual offence such as rape, I hope you will have the courage to come forward and report your ordeal to the police so that they can investigate and we can prosecute the perpetrator."

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Alison Saunders, and assistant commissioner Martin Hewitt, have written to all Chief Crown Prosecutors and Chief Constables to ensure the protocol is embedded, because the number of rape cases going to trial this year is expected to be about 30 per cent more than in 2012/13.

The protocol includes ensuring victims have the chance to make a victim personal statement for the court describing the effect the offence has had on them, and maintaining the Victims’ Right to Review scheme which enables victims to apply for any no further action or discontinuance decisions to be reviewed.