Rape conviction rates in the North East
Thirty years ago one the conviction rates for rape stood at one in three.
Today, out of every one hundred rape cases, only six ends in a guilty verdict.
Across the North East and North Yorkshire conviction rate range from one in seven to three in every hundred. The top performing force area is Cleveland where 14.6% of rapes result in a guilty verdict; in the Northumbria force area conviction rates are 8.6%, in North Yorkshire the figure is 8.3% and Durham has the lowest rates at 3.4%. These figures are from Rape Crisis and were compiled using data from the Home Office and Ministry of Justice.
Detective Steve Howes from Northumbria Police says it can be a difficult crime to investigate:
"It's difficult for the victim and obviously we recognise that and, we want to provide a victim centered approach to it. It's difficult because it can happen at any time of the day or night, to a man or a woman and can happen at any place. Often there are related issues, such as drink, and often there are no incidents to the act."
The Home Office estimates around 300,000 sexual crimes were committed last year, but only around 5% of them will ever be reported to police.
Home Office Minister and Tynemouth MP Alan Campbell says they’re trying to make it easier for women to come forward:
"Too many women in the past may not have come forward, because they weren't sure about the system. There's an awful lot of good work being done right across government with this, with some of our ministers taking this very seriously indeed. I think we will see further progress in the future."
If you’ve been the victim of a sexual assault find out more information on our helplines pages.
