Tis the Deficit Again....this time...Inquiry into Police Handling of Rape to be Scrapped

[LadyBlaBlah]

http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-staggers/2010/09/rape-cases-police-major here

Should be another interesting question for Nick the prick tomorrow.

Amazing how he flies round the world in the name of women's rights, throwing money around in a very altruistic manner (not), yet allows something like this to be sneaked through.

Link here

True. What could we do? Write to mp is the only thing I can think of.

Please think carefully about demanding the review.

These things cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to produce a nice booklet with some recommendations - some of which are insane (think the Badman Review of Elective Home Education) some are common sense and could have been figured out for free.

Personally - I'm of the view that we ought to be asking our MPs to ask what will be done with the money saved by not carrying out the review and can we please have promises it will be spent on already identified needs like training police/funding rape centres etc.

Very good point. The problems with the system have already been identified by campaign groups. It would be better if they spent money actually making some changes.

My understanding was that this review was called specifically to look at what happened with the Warboys and Reid cases, to look at the systematic failings that occured in those cases and the systematic failings across the system as a whole. To look at the fact that women who reported these crimes weren't believed / nothing was done.

It would have been a chance to do something as those cases were so high profile and so horrific that the outcome couldn't have been ignored.

The stern report recommendations haven't been impemented AFAIK.

The police know what they should be doing - they just aren't doing it. This might have embarassed them into acting. I think it is a lost opportunity.

The papers which reported this story also said something about "and anyway police forces will be looking at cutting investigations" which seemed to imply that with the cuts, one of the first things to go would be spending time investigating rape cases.

From the guardian link and the other papers said this too:

"He said some forces were already reviewing rape investigations in the expectation of funding shortfalls."

I guess that means that they're not goingt to bother investigating in anything except the most "obvious" cases?

I think money for rape investigations will certainly be the first to go. I would be interested to know how much they spend on rape compared to other crimes. It's already bad enough, and now it is going to get worse.

As you said the police know what they should be doing and are not doing it. Same with the CPS.

Theresa May - hang your head in shame.

There was a good report on Radio 4 recently, sorry can't remember the name of the programme, that detailed the failings of the police to take domestic violence seriously, despite many reviews to date. I think the review should stand, especially as the savings are not that much. Half a mill is a drop in the ocean when it comes to government spending.

It sends a clear message that the harm perpetrated against women isn't taken seriously, never was taken seriously and never will be.

Meanwhile Vodafone have been let off a tax bill amounting to billions of pounds. See current and last issue of Private Eye.

hi i was drug raped 8yrs ago and because i dont remember anything and there was no dna they closed the investigation after a week or so. i think they need to spend more time especially when its drug rape because the victim cant remember anything only bits. i got on with my life with the help of a councilar and my family x

Kat that's awful. I'm so sorry what happened to you, it's disgusting that the police weren't interested. I am so pleased though that you have been able to move on with your life

The people looking at the stats overlook that the "attrition" rate represents real women who feel that they have been failed by the police, the legal system, society. That is incredibly damaging at a personal level for many women.

I think that is what disturbs me about it, the investigation itself may not be the best way to spend money, I don't really know but the message it sends out is clear. Rape doesn't matter. Women don't matter. If they were to shelf an investigation on racism I wonder what the reaction would be.

Kat, I am so sorry that is just awful :(.

yes, I started a thread on this. I knew it wouldn't generate much discussion- what can you say, after all- but I think the message it gives out is that women don'T matter. It's worth spreading the word about it so women on the fence about feminism can start to see how women are regarded

I find it a bit depressing that people are not more angry about this though. It seems to have fallen straight out of the news already.