Unacceptable disparity in rape conviction figures
Secure convictions for rape are five times more likely in some parts of the country than others, according to official statistics released by the Home Office and Ministry of Justice.
Secure convictions for rape are five times more likely in some parts of the country than others, according to official statistics released by the Home Office and Ministry of Justice.
In 18 out of 43 police forces across England and Wales, rape convictions fell between 2004 and 2006.
A quarter of rapes in the UK are believed not to be treated as crimes and are not pursued.
It is a national scandal that thousands of victims of rape have no access to justice, said Katherine Rake, director of the Fawcett Society, a group for womens equality, which compiled the research.
It is entirely unacceptable that the standard of service rape victims receive is dependent on where they live.
The Government must act now to ensure rape victims receive a sensitive and effective service from police, she added.
Between 2004 and 2006 the number of reported rapes in England and Wales rose by 1,177; from 13,272 up to 14,449.
In 2006, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Dyfed Powys, Leicestershire and Sussex were shown to have only three per cent of reported rapes ending in conviction.
Cleveland, however, had a 13 per cent conviction rate, attributed to its specialist support centre for rape victims.
Successful prosecutions in South Wales fell by 6.3 per cent, from 12.2 per cent in 2004 to 5.9 per cent in 2006.
Fewer than one per cent of reported rapes were shown to lead to conviction in Gloucestershire in 2004. However their success convictions had risen to 7.4 per cent by 2006.
Figures for Welsh constabularies did not prove positive as all four forces had a conviction rate below 6.1 per cent, the UK average.
In South Wales the conviction rates dropped from 12.18 per cent in 2004 to 5.9 per cent in 2006; the second biggest fall in the UK.
John Trew of Victim Support Cymru called the figures shocking, telling BBC News: One of the most serious crimes has a conviction rate of three per cent [in some areas].
Imagine if armed robbery or murder had the same rate. It would just not be tolerated.
In defence of the police forces, however, he added: We have to look at the whole of society court services, the Crown Prosecution Service, and we have to look at jurors as well.