One in 53 rape allegations lead to charges in Suffolk

Home Office figures show there were 885 reports of rape recorded by police in the county in the year to March.

Of these 885 reports, 17 resulted in a charge or summons, accounting for 1.9%

Meanwhile, the police force had an average charge and summons rate of 9.1% across all offences.

Tim Passmore, Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner, said: "This data is deeply disturbing and it is about time it had real focus across the whole criminal justice system.

Tim Passmore (Image: Newsquest)

"I'm not wishing to blame, but the lack of forward planning by successive governments for 25 years or even more has been a major contributory factor to where we are at the moment.

"We know the performance isn't good enough. There are people working very hard to improve the situation.

"We have recruited and will continue to recruit a lot more detectives and that will help, but there is a long way to go. We can't be complacent.

"I think the delays in the criminal justice system do put people off wanting to take a case through which is completely unacceptable.

"These cases should absolutely be prioritised by everybody involved in the criminal justice system and the lack of court capacity and delays are very unhelpful.

Just one in 53 rape offences led to a court summons or charge (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

"Where's the focus on victims, some of whom have to wait for years before their case gets through the court situation.

"I implore those that who are able to make a difference here to get on with it and let's have a long term plan because that would improve confidence.

"The situation at the moment is completely unacceptable and we are certainly doing what we can, and that will continue to happen as long as I am the police and crime commissioner for Suffolk."

The Home Office said rape offences that led to a charge or court summons took the longest time to investigate, at an average of 423 days. This is compared with 55 days for violence against the person offences and 28 days for theft offences.

Of the rape offences recorded in Suffolk, 24.1% were not assigned an outcome as of March, meaning they were still under investigation.

Meanwhile, 38.5% were closed due to evidential difficulties where the suspect was identified, but the victim did not support further action.

Suffolk Rape Crisis, an organisation supporting survivors of sexual violence, closed earlier this year after more than a decade due to a lack of funds.

At the time, Suffolk Judge Martyn Levett expressed his disappointment at the closure, saying: "There are some women and girls who don't want, or do not feel ready to speak about their experiences.

Ipswich Crown Court Judge Martyn Levett (Image: Simon Lee)

"Closures are always of concern. It creates new risks and leaves gaps in the provision of support and signposting to other agencies for those in need and causes new demands on other services, including the council’s statutory services."

Suffolk saw a lower than average rate, with 2.6% of allegations resulting in a charge of summons across England and Wales.

Ciara Bergman, chief executive of Rape Crisis England and Wales, said: "This data reflects what we already know: the criminal justice system must do better for victims and survivors."

"Those survivors who take the brave steps to report rape and sexual assault do so with the expectation that there will be accountability for the perpetrator. That just 2.6% of adult rape investigations result in a charge or summons is unacceptable."

A government spokesperson said: "In far too many cases, rape victims aren’t getting the justice they deserve. It is important that police and prosecutors work together in a timely way to build the strongest possible case.

"We have committed to fast-tracking rape cases and are carefully considering the best way to do this. We are working with the judiciary and will announce next steps in due course."