Review of performance targets - rape

Report: 10
Date: 11 October 2001
By: Commissioner

Summary

The Policing Plan 2001/2002 adopted rape as a priority. A critical issue has been the debate surrounding the Haven project - a plan to provide all of London with Sexual Assault Referral Centres. This plan has not achieved funding, without it performance targets are unlikely to be met. This report recommends a reduction in the expected MPS judicial disposal target.

A. Recommendation

That Members discuss and consider a reduction in the rape judicial disposals target from 25% to 20%.

B. Supporting information

1. The Policing Plan 2001/2002 set targeting rape as a priority. This is the first time rape has been featured in this way and the MPA is believed to be the only police authority in England and Wales that has created such a priority. Rape is one component of the over arching priority ‘Protecting Londoners from Hate Crime’. There is one objective for rape: To improve victim care and investigation in cases of rape and one performance indicator supporting this objective: A judicial disposal rate for rape offences of 25%.

2. The objective reflects the wide range of actions that are being be carried out during the course of this planning year and includes focussed activity on both victim care and the investigative process. The PI only counts judicial disposal rate, since some of the victim-focussed activity is difficult to measure in the first year, while systems are being developed. There is a direct link, however, between victim care and judicial disposal rate. For example, poor or indifferent care can result in higher attrition rates with victims not wishing to pursue a case through to courts.

Performance indicator

The judicial disposal (JD) rate target was based upon performance in preceding years. The table below shows JD rates and total offences of rape in the planning years from 1998 to 2001

The JD rate for the start of the year 2001/2 is set out below:

5. It will be seen that there has not been a dramatic improvement in JD rates. It is unlikely that the target will be achieved overall this year, given current performance

Critical success factor

6. There is currently one Haven in place at Camberwell and expansion for three further Havens was planned for 2001/02. The critical issue for performance in this year has been the debate surrounding the Haven centre and the expansion of the scheme to cover all London. The Haven - a dedicated Sexual Assault Referral Centre - is fundamental to our intentions to improve victim care. The MPS is committed under the first key action of the Policing Plan to ‘develop further victim examination and medical care facilities, based upon the learning from the Haven project’. The pan London Haven expansion is not currently proceeding, following the decision of the MPA Finance Planning and Best Value Committee on 19 June 2001.

7. The Havens project is at the heart of our victim focussed developments. The following key actions are still under development but are adversely influenced by the slippage on the Haven project:

• Key Action 4 The development of dedicated sexual offence investigation teams.
• Key Action 5 The provision of specialist training management and support.

Impact on judicial disposal rate

8. The introduction of Havens is expected to impact on judicial disposal rates in a number of ways. These include:

• The willingness of victims to assist in investigations is one of the key components of the rape attrition rate and is heavily influenced by how they are treated in the early stages. Much of that early treatment is outside of the control of the investigating team, i.e. the provision of a medical and forensic examination in a suitable location within a reasonable time. The provision of the Haven allows this to take place.
• Investigating officers often feel the need to spend time with the victim, as they do not have confidence in victim care standards outside of the Haven. With the Haven, confidence in victim care is high so investigators are able to focus on investigation from the start.
• Improved forensic material is provided by the experienced medical team at the Haven, especially where referral is made soon after the alleged rape.
• Haven medical staff may collect anonymised forensic material from victims who do not wish any police investigation. With victim consent such material can be made available to police for intelligence purposes and this is vital assistance in linking offences, profiling suspects and identifying perpetrators. The Haven has received 145 such self-referrals and pan London Haven coverage would increase this significantly and improve the number of perpetrators detected and prosecuted.
• The intelligence information collected by the Haven is helping the MPS build up a much more accurate picture of rape occurrence in South East London.
• Havens are a more attractive working environment for both medical and police staff and all posts at the Camberwell Haven have been filled. SOIT (sexual offence investigation team) posts have traditionally been difficult to fill as they involve on-call work in addition to regular shifts;
• Public support and favourable press articles encouraging victims to report rape earlier.

9. Whilst it is accepted that, if Haven funding had been obtained, this would not have fully impacted on judicial disposal rates in the current planning year, the following impacts would be expected:

• Recruitment of SOITs and medical examiners would have been enhanced had Haven development been assured;
• Development of specialised management, support and training structures would have been progressed more rapidly; and
• Both of the above actions would have improved the quality of forensic and intelligence information across the MPS, which would have been expected to impact on the judicial disposal rate in-year.

10. Work is ongoing which will allow the MPS to identify Haven cases on the crime recording system, and measure the judicial disposal rate for Haven offences. This should be complete by the end of the year.

11. In tandem, an investigation of the fall in judicial disposal rate since 1999/00 is being carried to to ascertain whether the nature of rapes recorded has changed, reducing the likelihood of judicial disposals.

12. With no progress on the Haven project we should re-evaluate our target. The MPS Performance Review Committee reviewed this matter on the 24 August 2001. Following that meeting it is recommended that the target for rape judicial disposals be amended downwards. It is requested that the revised target is based upon the further work outlined at paragraphs 10 and 11 to allow a reasonable prospect of success given the changed nature of our plans.

D. Financial implications

Growth bid of £725k per annum, as expressed in the background paper set out below.

D. Background papers

• Sexual Assault Referral Centres- The Haven
• Paper 19, Finance, Best Value & Planning Committee 19 June 2001

E. Contact details

Report author: James Webster, Detective Superintendent, Territorial Policing HQ 0207 321 7146

For information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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