New figures released today show that South Wales Police is the third best force in England and Wales for successfully detecting adult rapes.
The data, published by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) shows that in the 12 months up to March 2013, in terms of sanction detections (where a formal criminal justice sanction was applied to an offender) South Wales Police has a 30% success rate compared to the England and Wales average of 18%.
While the overall number of adult rapes has increased from 138 to 199 in the equivalent twelve months, this still equates to an average of 19 recorded adult rapes per 100,000 adults across the force area, which is below the overall England and Wales figure of 22.
In terms of child rapes numbers have also increased from 124 to 145 in the 12 months preceding March 2013, with sanction detections at 33% which is above the national average.
Assistant Chief Constable for South Wales Police, Liane James, said:
“Crime figures like these can present a complicated picture, but what is pleasing is that South Wales Police is clearly doing well in terms of raising the awareness of victims, to ensure they have confidence in our ability to investigate this type of offence.
“South Wales Police have proactively sought to encourage victims to have trust in the service we provide and to report rape and sexual offences to us. We believe this increase in the number of reported incidents is reflective of an increase in confidence in our ability and that of our partners, to thoroughly investigate and support victims through what is likely to be the most traumatic time in their lives.
“We work closely with the Crime Prosecution Service (CPS) at the early stages of an investigation, ensuring appropriate support for the victim whatever the outcome. What is most important to South Wales Police is the voice of the victim is heard and also to ensure the most appropriate outcome is achieved.
“We are completely committed to preventing these crimes and will proactively pursue perpetrators of all such offences to ensure that they are brought to justice.”
ACC James added:
“We have been working very hard to encourage victims of rape to come forward and to make reporting this type of crime as straightforward as possible. We know reporting these crimes can be difficult, but I would urge anyone who has been a victim of any sexual offence to report it to us, you will be supported.”
Sophie Howe, Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for South Wales said:
“The latest Crime Figures reported a 38% increase in the number of people now reporting sexual offences to South Wales Police. This is a direct result of the progress being made nationally and locally to increase public confidence in this area.
“We know that too often, and for a variety of reasons, these crimes go unreported and those responsible therefore go unpunished.
“Ensuring that victims of domestic or sexual violence feel comfortable and confident to report it to us remains of utmost importance and we will continue to work with Welsh Government and partner agencies to do all that we can to raise awareness of the issue and to prevent such instances from occurring in the first place.
“But despite being one of the best performing forces this will remain a priority area for us.
“I personally encourage anyone who has been a victim, or perhaps knows somebody who is suffering in silence to contact police immediately with any information they may have.”
