Force's failings over sex cases

For too long the police gave the impression of not taking all sex assaults sufficiently seriously. There was a perception that women had to prove they had been a victim of rape. Thankfully, that has changed over the last decade but still more needs to be done. In WestYorkshire, the picture is particularly worrying.

The findings of the review commissioned by West Yorkshire's deputy chief constable, David Crompton, make for alarming reading. That they relate to the way the force carries out its investigations, rather than officers' initial response to victims, does not make them any less serious.

Performance management and understanding the various categories of sexual offences may sound more like administrative tasks but they are vital to the way these crimes are tackled over the long term.

Most concerning, however, is the "variable quality" of West Yorkshire police's investigations. The physical and emotional pain caused to rape and sex assault victims will only be compounded if they are dealt with by under-trained, inexperienced or over-burdened officers.

What should also be borne in mind is that the percentage of rape cases solved is already well below that of other crimes.

Chief constables around the country know this so it is vital they clamp down wherever there is a hit-and-miss approach, particularly in West Yorkshire.

It would be a great shame if, after numerous public awareness campaigns to increase reporting of rape, and the establishment of a specialist rape investigation unit, Operation Topaz, at West Yorkshire, fewer people felt able to come forward to police when they had suffered such

an attack.

Police forces will always operate in slightly different ways, depending on the age and geographical spread of their staff, but it is essential they meet certain basic standards.

Public confidence in the police is perhaps most important when it comes to sex crimes, because so many go unreported. West Yorkshire police must change quickly or risk betraying victims.