Rape is a dreadful crime yet the conviction rate is far too low for such a serious offence.
In addition, many are not reported in the first place because the victims feel unable to come forward, perhaps fearing the system will put them on trial as much as their attacker.
What this means is that there are some dangerous men at large who deserve to be behind bars, while their victims are being denied what comfort a conviction would bring.
The police, to their credit, are not blind to this issue and are keen to improve the way rape cases are handled.
An initiative introduced in Bradford and Wakefield – Operation Topaz – which sees one unit handle the whole investigation from the initial report through to trial, looks like it could be one way forward.
It is not hard to see why. It must be easier for victims to deal with the same officers who are familiar with their case rather than to see a succession of different faces and have to go over painful details again and again. As a result, the quality of their evidence and willingness to see such a difficult process through to the end may be strengthened.
The first cases handled by Topaz are now coming before the courts and if a real improvement in conviction rates is demonstrated, it cannot be long before what is currently pioneering here becomes standard practice across the country.
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