The information requested is given in the tables.
Data are available for 1997 calendar year and from 1998-99 in financial years. This followed a revision to the counting rules for recorded crime and the expanded coverage which came into effect on 1 April 1998. The figures were also affected by the revised detections guidance issued in April 1999 which formalised detection procedures, placing a greater emphasis on the evidential basis on which detections can be claimed. They were also affected by the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002, which required the police to record a crime unless there was
“no credible evidence to the contrary”.
The Sexual Offences Act 2003 in May 2004 also altered the definition and coverage of sexual offences, in particular, indecent exposure is now classified as a sexual offence. All these changes mean that detection rates are not comparable over this time period.
The existing statistical evidence suggests that both the changes to detections guidance and the introduction of NCRS had a marked impact in reducing detection rates for sexual offences since 1997. The Home Office is currently researching in detail recent changes in detection rates in rape cases in England and Wales, including variation between forces. This is expected to be published shortly.
New performance management arrangements have been introduced for the police and CPS on the investigation and prosecution of rape. The Home Office and Association of Chief Police Officers are also providing operational support to police forces on the implementation of recommendations from Without Consent, the rape inspection published in January 2007.
Table 1: Detection rates1 for rape offences by police force areaPolice force area19971998-991999-200032000-012001-022002-032003-042004-052005-06Avon and Somerset867462432722211822Bedfordshire705643342529212323Cambridgeshire796256504629152122Cheshire1009887868148292828Cleveland899173596541312238Cumbria979391707464303035Derbyshire937352383935333130Devon and Cornwall928996774930192618Dorset947850363925171717Durham93958591n/a68716026Dyfed-Powys9591891097691253518Essex796564503332292725Gloucestershire896966705731282919Greater Manchester857464585546323031Gwent1009192989380785240Hampshire799965585341342621Hertfordshire889678666250503841Humberside655833373323202223Kent928590575638272222Lancashire918379534752353735Leicestershire72433737n/a26282319Lincolnshire1248287675040283124London, City of0005022100000Merseyside907869665347433524Metropolitan Police583228242729332536Norfolk689437353624182123Northamptonshire968295706453373233Northumbria856861504336302529North Wales899285593526292725North Yorkshire8710562735943414134Nottinghamshire835546513634273627South Wales999388919062536029South Yorkshire967988757240383024Staffordshire866839383540323026Suffolk747329363030262125Surrey564845284232352632Sussex805547343526241521Thames Valley905952263227182422Warwickshire797955523027192519West Mercia918764564437353127West Midlands776859534541322529West Yorkshire908376715542312525Wiltshire967368314637413233 n/a = Not available.1 Offences detected in current year may have been initially recorded in an earlier year, so some percentages may exceed 100.2 Expanded offence coverage and revised counting rules came into effect on 1 April 1998.3 Revised detections guidance was implemented on 1 April 1999.4 The data in this table take account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.5 The Sexual Offences Act 2003, introduced in May 2004, altered the definition and coverage of sexual offences.
Police force area 1997 1998/992 1999/003 2000/01 2001/02 2002/034 2003/04 2004/055 2005/06 Avon and Somerset 76 68 62 48 33 29 29 22 29 Bedfordshire 70 54 55 57 45 44 29 41 31 Cambridgeshire 71 67 74 60 51 38 32 30 31 Cheshire 94 90 84 87 79 58 49 40 35 Cleveland 77 78 85 81 85 69 60 51 47 Cumbria 90 88 87 86 72 57 51 46 51 Derbyshire 80 79 66 55 66 48 49 37 33 Devon and Cornwall 84 87 90 82 62 48 39 33 33 Dorset 82 75 67 58 53 47 33 31 35 Durham 91 80 93 81 n/a 59 77 69 37 Dyfed-Powys 94 96 95 93 95 91 52 46 48 Essex 68 64 67 57 55 43 40 36 31 Gloucestershire 80 69 72 67 64 42 38 35 34 Greater Manchester 70 72 65 62 58 54 46 30 35 Gwent 95 87 94 91 90 83 81 57 48 Hampshire 79 102 76 66 62 59 44 36 31 Hertfordshire 69 80 72 65 75 54 55 41 43 Humberside 66 60 43 46 38 41 33 30 37 Kent 85 80 78 59 59 49 43 29 32 Lancashire 81 76 75 62 52 61 48 41 44 Leicestershire 78 63 58 46 n/a 35 33 28 33 Lincolnshire 124 84 78 73 68 33 40 41 38 London, City of 74 59 40 38 67 45 35 44 45 Merseyside 81 72 66 69 56 53 47 41 38 Metropolitan Police 62 46 34 33 34 34 35 25 34 Norfolk 91 82 72 51 50 37 46 38 68 Northamptonshire 92 81 84 81 70 53 62 52 39 Northumbria 71 68 58 58 52 51 49 35 47 North Wales 90 93 90 67 58 38 45 42 46 North Yorkshire 77 87 71 74 69 59 54 50 51 Nottinghamshire 76 62 57 47 46 48 46 47 48 South Wales 87 86 84 82 78 59 52 36 34 South Yorkshire 82 84 78 77 67 51 53 38 35 Staffordshire 80 68 37 40 39 55 52 41 36 Suffolk 85 75 72 60 54 57 40 43 45 Surrey 69 110 59 45 45 43 44 34 36 Sussex 76 60 57 48 50 43 41 31 37 Thames Valley 76 61 53 49 44 34 36 29 34 Warwickshire 93 78 62 51 60 48 34 42 42 West Mercia 82 79 69 61 51 49 50 41 48 West Midlands 68 63 60 54 55 44 38 30 34 West Yorkshire 84 74 80 73 67 55 39 32 28 Wiltshire 84 87 68 40 52 42 42 37 41 n/a = Not available. 1 Offences detected in current year may have been initially recorded in an earlier year, so some percentages may exceed 100. 2 Expanded offence coverage and revised counting rules came into effect on 1 April 1998. 3 Revised detections guidance was implemented on 1 April 1999. 4 The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years. 5 The Sexual Offences Act 2003, introduced in May 2004, altered the definition and coverage of sexual offences.