‘You Will Be Believed’ Avon and Somerset Chief Constable Tells Rape and Sexual Assault Victims

A senior police officer has reached out to survivors of rapes and sexual assaults who are undecided about whether to report to the police assuring them they “will be believed”.

Avon and Somerset Chief Constable Sarah Crew, who is also the senior police officer in charge of Operation Soteria which defines new ways of investigating sexual crimes, was speaking at the monthly Police Question Time hosted by police and crime commissioner Clare Moody, which took the form of a panel on male violence against women and girls to mark the global campaign against gender based-violence.

CC Crew said: “We are trying very, very hard to win back that trust by absolutely tackling the perpetrators who do this, rather than focussing necessarily on the victims, and also looking at ourselves as an institution and the people within it to make sure we do deserve that trust and confidence.”

She added: “You’ll be believed. I think that’s the most important thing we can say; so often people think they won’t be.”

“We do understand those concerns about privacy as well. Through the work we have done, we are very careful that we are only asking for information where it's necessary to fulfil what you want us to achieve.”

“We are very mindful of the intrusion, and we want to minimise that as much as possible. And it is done with your consent.”

Sarah O’Leary, CEO of Next Link Domestic Abuse Services and Safe Link, who was also on the panel, said: “Our ISVA’s can make sure someone’s informed of their choices, making it really clear that you don’t have to report but these are the options if you do want to.”

She said: “There is support out there even if you know you don’t want to report.”

Campaigner and author Laura Bates said: “I am patron of Somerset and Avon Rape and Sexual Abuse Support [SARSAS] and in that role I have seen first-hand the people behind the statistics and the toll it takes on victims/survivors when they come up against those many barriers of not being believed, of being blamed for what has happened, of having a poor response or a bad experience in the criminal justice system, and the re-traumatisation that can entail.

“So I think that I would say to a survivor making that decision is that there is no right or wrong decision, that it is your choice, that you are not alone, that what has happened is not your fault, and that that brilliant independent support from services like Rape Crisis is available to you regardless, including if you chose not to report to the police.”

She added: "It's so great to hear about the work that’s being done and the progress that’s being made. But the statistics remain very, very low. Nationally, there is about a 2% chance that if someone reports a rape to the police it will result in a charge of summons.”

Despite this, CC Crew said that:

• The rate of charges in Avon and Somerset had increased from 3% to 8% in the last three years
• In the last year, she said the number of people reporting rapes and sexual assaults to the police had increased by 40% 
• The number of charges had increased by 76%. 

But she added: “If people don’t want to report and go through the criminal justice process but they are able to give us some information about the perpetrator then we will explore that perpetrator. [...] There is the criminal justice route but just sharing the information via a third party and remaining anonymous gives us a clue which, added to other clues, gives us an ability to find those perpetrators and put the onus and the focus on them.”

Jordans Solicitors – helping victims of sexual abuse claim compensation

If you have been a victim and would like to speak to one of our Specialist Abuse Lawyers in confidence, please do not hesitate to contact us.

We have the knowledge and experience to advise you on the available options for pursuing a Criminal Injuries Compensation Claim and/or civil damages claim.