'Critical failure' to answer basic sex crime questions

HERE is a “critical failure” to answer basic questions about sex crimes against women including how many are raped by strangers each year, a report has found.

- MARGARET DAVIS, IZZIE ADDISON and ANAHITA HOSSEIN-POUR

(Sarah Everard)

The Angiolini Inquiry, set up in the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard, found that too many perpetrators are slipping through the cracks and that prevention schemes are often “just words”.

In the latest report from the inquiry, looking at sex crimes against women in public places, Lady Elish Angiolini found that data on these offences is “difficult to obtain, patchy and incomplete”.

She also found that around a quarter, 26%, of police forces in Wales and England have no specialist policy for investigating sexual offences, including non-contact crimes such as indecent exposure.

Speaking to journalists as the report was published, she said: “What is of great concern to me, still, is that basic questions cannot be answered.

“No-one was able to confidently tell me how many women nationally report being the victim of sexually motivated crimes in public spaces.

“This gap in knowledge fundamentally impacted my ability to assess how effective current measures are at preventing these crimes.

“For example, we cannot answer basic questions such as ‘how many women were raped by strangers in public spaces, as opposed to someone known to them, in private spaces in England and Wales last year’ and there is limited data on sexual assault and indecent exposure.