What police are doing to help rape victims as Stacey Dooley makes 'bleak' admission
Stacey Dooley has shared that she may not go to the police if she were to be the victim of rape or sexual assault, after hearing stories of women’s experiences with the courts and investigators.
The TV presenter, 38, is releasing a new BBC programme, Rape On Trial, which covers the delays to court cases and waiting times for victims of alleged rape and sexual assault.
Dooley told The Radio Times: "If somebody raped me, I don’t think I would go to the police, which is so bleak and such a disappointing realisation… But in terms of what I’ve witnessed, I wouldn’t feel confident."
Dooley's comments come as there is currently a record-high crown court backlog in England and Wales, which has almost doubled in five years to 73,105 at the end of September last year.
The Victims’ Commissioner Baroness Newlove published a report earlier this month which found many victims of serious offences including rape, murder and robbery, are facing years-long waits for justice.
The report also said that victims are struggling to cope, with many unable to work or turning to drugs, alcohol and self-harm as they face the uncertainty.
What are police doing to help sexual assault victims?
Chief Constable Sarah Crew, of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), said the "effective investigation and prosecution of rape" is "one of the most important challenges facing the criminal justice system".
She explained: "We are working hard in policing to improve our response to rape and sexual offences. All 43 police forces in England and Wales have signed up to Operation Soteria, a transformational approach to rape and sexual offences investigation.
"This has seen policing open its doors to scrutiny from independent academics to look at the way police investigate rape. We are facing this directly, transparently and uncompromisingly. This process is not easy, but it is vital."
Operation Soteria was developed in response to national concern around the investigation of rape and serious sexual assault offences (RASSO) and the increasing epidemic that is violence against women and girls.
Initially launched in June 2021, as Operation Soteria Bluestone within Avon and Somerset Police, it’s aim was to increase the number of adult rape and serious sexual assault cases reaching charge, and, in addition, deliver sustained improvement in the criminal justice whole system response.
Operation Soteria’s National Operating Model (NOM) delineates the following recommendations:
Referring survivors to independent victim support
Informing survivors of their rights
Protecting survivors from the suspect
Looking at all evidence.
A recent report, analysing the experiences of rape and sexual assault victims, found that when none of the above steps were taken, only 17% of survivors reported being willing to report a sexual offence to the police again in future. When all these steps were taken, 90% of survivors said they would report again.
Crew added: "Delivering rape investigations differently is helping us to rebuild trust and confidence, and we are seeing a steep increase in arrests and charges.
"According to the crime survey of England and Wales, fewer than one in six victims of rape and assault by penetration report the crime to the police.
"We believe the work we are doing under Operation Soteria is starting to close this gap, enabling more victims to pursue justice and allowing policing to bring more offenders to justice.
"However, policing cannot do this alone, so we are working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service and across the criminal justice system to ensure that every agency plays their part in tackling this horrific crime."
Crew urged victims of rape or sexual assault to report their incidents to the police saying they would be "treated sensitively" and with "respect and empathy".
She added: "We work closely with sexual assault referral centres (Sarcs) and independent sexual violence advisers (ISVAs) and we would urge anyone who is not comfortable with going to the police to use these independent specialist services instead."
Where to go for help
If you have been sexually assaulted you can contact the 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line on 0808 500 2222 or visit https://rapecrisis.org.uk/get-help/.
If you can’t find the information you’re looking for or would like support as a victim of another type of crime, contact Victim Support’s 24/7 Support line on 08 08 16 89 111 or live chat.
You can get help from a SARC by booking an appointment with your nearest one. Find your nearest sexual assault referral centre (SARC).
Other voluntary organisations offering help include: Women's Aid, The Survivors Trust or Male Survivors Partnership.
You can also contact the 24-hour freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge, on 0808 2000 247.
Additional reporting PA.
Read more about rape and sexual assault:
Sexual assault and rape claims to be part of mental health care review after Sky News investigation (Sky News, 2-min read)
Referrals to NHS sexual assault centres rise by almost 18% in two years (PA Media, 3-min read)
Could these kits prevent rape? (Cosmopolitan, 21-min read)
