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New measures to support victims of sexual assault

HOME OFFICE News Release (064/2009) issued by COI News Distribution Service on 15 April 2009

New measures to improve the investigation and prosecution of rape and to provide support to victims were announced today by Home Office Minister, Vernon Coaker.

The new measures follow discussions with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) to ensure the best possible support for victims of rape. The measures include:

* Up to £1.8 million of new funding for Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) and Independent Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVAs);

* Helping every police force to ensure that all victims are seen by a specially trained officer within an hour of reporting;

* Training for police officers on what do when a rape is first reported;

* New National Police Improvement Agency (NPIA) 'best practice' guidance for the police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) on investigating and prosecuting rape to be published this summer and the provision of an expert support team to ensure consistent implementation;

* A Rape Performance Group, led by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) and the CPS to monitor police and CPS performance on rape and undertake continuous assessments of performance;

* An investigation into how the best practice guidance has been implemented by the HMIC in 2010;

* Ensuring that the police involve specialist sexual violence voluntary sector services in delivering training programmes on rape for the police; and

* Specific rape sessions as part of the Violence Against Women and Girls consultation programme.

Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker said:
"There are few crimes more horrific than rape and we know it is a uniquely difficult crime to investigate. Every force has a responsibility to ensure that officers who come into contact with a rape victim are trained to support that victim. The package of measures we are announcing today will help ensure that the police and prosecutors are further equipped to investigate allegations of rape and secure justice for the victims.

"It is essential that every victim has immediate access to the services and support they need to come forward and report these crimes and bring the perpetrators to justice. I urge areas to apply for part of the new funding of up to £1.8 million so that we can work towards our target of having a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) in every area and for victims to have access to the specialist advice of an Independent Sexual Violence Adviser (ISVA)."

Assistant Commissioner John Yates, the ACPO lead for rape and serious sexual offences, said:
"ACPO welcomes the announcement of the additional funding to support the expansion of Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) across the country. We have always said that these excellent facilities should be accessible to every victim of this terrible crime, no matter where they live.

"We know from experience and feedback what a dramatic difference they make both in terms of care and support for victims and in relation to giving investigators the best chance to build a successful case.
"In recent years we have made significant advances in the way we approach investigation of this difficult offence, but despite that there is much more to do. The new guidance to be published in the summer is a substantial piece of work undertaken by staff and officers who work with rape victims and who are determined to ensure the best possible standards are reached and applied uniformly across the country."

SARCs provide victims with immediate medical help, counselling, forensic examinations and the opportunity to give evidence anonymously on one site. The additional funding is for new and exisiting centres and is part of the Government's commitment to have a SARC in every police force area by 2011. ISVAs provide tailored support to victims throught the criminal justice process. This funding will increase the number of ISVAs from 36 to 43.

Lisa Thompson, Service Development Manager at the Rape and Sexual Violence Project, Birmingham and Solihull, said:
"I welcome these measures which will help the police to provide a better response to male and female victims of rape. Ensuring a specially trained officer is available within in a hour of a report of rape will provide a much better response to victims, which will hopefiully lead to better investigative outcomes.

"Training from specialist sexual violence voluntary sector services is also essential to combat common myths and stereotypes about rape, and to increase understanding both of the impact of rape, and the barriers to reporting. Understanding these barriers should help officers deal more sensitively with the victim sat in front of them. All these measures provide a step in the right direction in providing victims with a first class response. However we need to continue to find more ways to encourgage more victims to report these crimes, and to tackle the widely held public myths about rape."

The consultation The Together We Can End Violence Against Women And Girls sets out the action the Government has taken to tackle all forms of violence against women and girls. It looks at what more can be done to challenge the attitudes that uphold it in order to help women and girls feel safer.

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. Violence against women includes stalking, trafficking, domestic violence, sexual violence, female genital mutilation, forced marriage and other 'honour' related types of violence.

To view the consultation go to http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/keepwomensafe

2. The public and stakeholders are being consulted on a wide range of issues for The Together We Can End Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy including:
* tackling persistent perpetrators - including a review into what additional powers police and courts may need to control violent perpetrators, particularly serial offenders who move between relationships, led by Chief Constable Brian Moore, Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) lead on domestic violence;
* helping women feel safer when they travel - including a new website enabling the public to report where they feel safe or unsafe and why, and the expansion of the Park Mark safer car parks scheme;
* a fact-finding review into the sexualisation of teenage girls and links to violence; and
* the establishment of a new advisory group, with a specific focus on how schools can prevent violence against women.

3. The Home Office has been involved in the expansion of the SARC network since 2003/4. There are now 28 existing SARCs with further under development. These are:
* Millfield House, Derbyshire
* Juniper Lodge, Leicester
* Topaz Centre, Nottinghamshire
* Haven Camberwell, London
* Haven Paddington, London
* Haven Whitechapel, London
* Helen Britton House, Cleveland
* Meadows, Durham
* Reach Centre, Newcastle
* Reach Centre, Sunderland
* St Mary's, Manchester
* Safe Centre, Lancashire
* Safe Place, Merseyside
* Treetop Centre, Hampshire
* Renton Clinic, Kent
* Saturn Centre Crawley, Sussex
* Hope House, Gloucestershire
* New Swindon Sanctuary, Wiltshire
* Twelve's Company Plymouth, Devon and Cornwall
* New pathways Elm Tree House, Dyfed-Powys
* New Pathways, Gwent
* New Pathways Swansea, South Wales
* New Pathways Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales
* Safe Island Cardiff, South Wales
* The Rowan Centre Walsall, West Midlands
* Hull and East Riding, Humberside
* ISIS Rotherham, South Yorkshire
* The Bridge SARC Bristol, Avon and Somerset

4. Areas can bid for SARC funding by visiting http://www.crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk/sexualoffences/sexual09a.htm

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