Meanwhile today's news:
Independent: "Justice system in ‘crisis’ as only 8% of crimes prosecuted in England and Wales
Exclusive: ‘We are facing a crisis within our justice system, we are starting to see it crumble around us’
(extract)
"Tens of thousands more crimes are not being prosecuted amid warnings of a worsening “crisis” in Britain’s criminal justice system.
Almost 92 per cent of offences do not result in perpetrators being charged or summonsed in England and Wales, with the number of offences taken to court dropping by almost 30,000 in a year.
Lawyers, police officers and victim support workers interviewed by The Independent blamed a perfect storm of police cuts, rising crime, rows over disclosure, falling confidence and the backlash to a series of collapsed rape cases.
Figures published by the Home Office show in the year ending September 2018 only 8.2 per cent of 5 million recorded crimes were prosecuted, down from 9.5 per cent the previous year.
The proportion of offences charged fell across all categories – from violence to drugs, robbery, weapons possession and theft.
London homicides hit 10-year high in 2018 after 134 people killed
The lowest figures were for sexual offences (4 per cent), with only 1.9 per cent of recorded rapes prosecuted – down from 2.4 per cent the previous year.
Nick Thomas-Symonds, Labour’s shadow solicitor general, said the statistics made “very worrying reading”.
“This is, sadly, no surprise given the swingeing government cuts to both police and Crown Prosecution Service budgets,” he added.
“The government has to step up to the plate and provide the resources needed to properly support victims and ensure that no stone is left unturned in bringing people to justice.”
The reason for closing almost half of investigations was that no suspect had been identified, but almost a third were listed as “evidential difficulties”.
There was a sharp rise in the proportion of cases recorded as “victim does not support action”, increasing to 42 per cent for violence, 35 per cent with rapes and 29 per cent of sexual offences.
The victims’ commissioner, Baroness Newlove, raised concern that lengthy delays, poor conviction rates, demands for phones and personal records, and the prospect of cross-examination were making women drop claims.
Victims ‘increasingly failed by authorities’ as confidence falls
“The very low percentage of rape and sexual violence cases that result in a trial is a huge concern, as are the increasing number of victims who do not want to endure the criminal justice process,” she said." (continues)
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/crime-statistics-uk-justice-prosecution-rates-rape-victims-disclosure-police-funding
It is important to recognise that the vast majority of high impact crimes and nearly all sexual offences are committed by males as well as the disproportionate number of victims of sexual crimes being women and children. #sexmatters