Closing the gap on rape prosecutions

There is no truth in the suggestion that the Crown Prosecution Service is taking a risk-averse approach to prosecuting rape (Senior police officer raises concerns over CPS’s ‘risk-averse’ approach to rape, 14 September).

In my meeting with Sarah Crew, the deputy chief constable of Avon and Somerset police, I warned against exactly that, stressing that police and prosecutors must ensure that every case is thoroughly investigated and, whenever our legal test is met, it must be robustly prosecuted.

I share concerns about the growing gap between the number of sexual offences being reported to police, and those going before a court. The CPS is fully engaged in the system-wide review to understand what lies behind this trend. Meanwhile, our specialist, highly trained prosecutors will continue to work with police to build the strongest possible cases to put before a jury.
Max Hill QC
Director of Public Prosecutions, Crown Prosecution Service

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