Victims' Commissioner Dame Vera Baird blasts 'utterly shameful' record low level of rape convictions as alarming figures reveal just 1.4 per cent of 55,130 attacks recorded by police led to a prosecution

• Crown Prosecution Service will set out plans to convict more sex offenders 
• Just 1,439 alleged rapists convicted of rape or lesser offences in 2019/20
• Experts believe there are several reasons behind the low conviction rate 

The Victims' Commissioner has branded figures showing the number of rape convictions falling to a record low as 'utterly shameful'.

Home Office data shows just 1.4 per cent of 55,130 rapes recorded by police led to prosecution in the 12 months to March.

Furthermore, the Crown Prosecution Service said today just 1,439 alleged rapists were convicted of rape or lesser offences in 2019/20 - down 25 per cent from 1,925 the previous year.

The number of completed prosecutions also reached a record low, with 2,102 in 2019/20, compared to 3,034 in 2018/19, a fall of around 31 per cent.  

Experts believe there are several reasons behind the low conviction rate.

Victims have complained about 'digital rape' as police demand to go through their phones and social media accounts while investigating cases – leading some complainants to drop out of potential prosecutions.

And in November it was revealed that prosecutors had been operating a secret 60 per cent conviction target - meaning they were unwilling to take cases to court if they were not considered 'slam dunk' prosecutions.

Meanwhile a recent law change has led to more suspects being released without bail, taking pressure off prosecutors to examine cases promptly and allowing cases to drift, campaigners say.

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The Crown Prosecution Service is pushing to bring more sex offenders to justice – days after watchdogs said rape had in effect been 'decriminalised'

1,000 extra probation officers hired 

A thousand extra probation officers are to be recruited to keep tabs on freed offenders. 

Staff numbers will be boosted following a costly Government U-turn that will see privatised work taken back 'in house'. 

The additional officers, combined with 800 trainees already being recruited, will see the workforce grow by almost 30 per cent year-on-year by January, the Ministry of Justice said. 

The department promised the recruitment drive would allow probation officers to have a 'more balanced workload'. 

High-risk criminals are supervised by the National Probation Service, with all other work assigned to part-private community rehabilitation companies. 

But from next June supervision of around 200,000 low and medium-risk offenders will be taken over by the NPS. 

The move by Justice Secretary Robert Buckland was a humiliation for Tory colleague Chris Grayling, who introduced the £3.7billion shakeup. 

It was beset by problems, including the revelation that many freed criminals were monitored by just one phone call every six weeks. 

The new strategy includes IT systems to let staff spend more time working with offenders.

It comes amid a push by prosecutors to bring more sex offenders to justice - days after watchdogs said rape had in effect been 'decriminalised'. 

Bowing to years of pressure, the Crown Prosecution Service will set out plans to reverse a shocking decline in the number of rapists and other perverts who are jailed.  

Victims' Commissioner Dame Vera Baird QC said today: 'These rape statistics are utterly shameful with 1,500 fewer rapists being convicted than three years ago. Rape is a serial offence and rapists carry on until they are stopped.'

The CPS has pledged to 'reduce the gap' between cases reported by victims and the number that reach court. 

Dame Vera suggested earlier this month that  ministers should consider taking matters out of the hands of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Max Hill QC.

Mr Hill told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: 'I do accept the scale of the problem but we must also accept if we are talking about that, that looking back three or four years some serious mistakes were also being made.

'There were cases going to court which shouldn't have been going to court, so we have had to eradicate that as well.'

The CPS figures also show a drop in the number of rape cases referred to the CPS by police, with 2,747 in 2019/20, down from 3,375 the previous year - around a 19 per cent decrease.

And the average time for the police and CPS to bring a charge increased to 145 days, compared with 108 in 2018/19.

The National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) described the fall in the number of convictions as 'very concerning for us'.

A joint statement from the NPCC's leads for rape, domestic abuse and charging said there are a number of reasons for the drop in referrals, many due to the way forces work, but that police have been working with the CPS to 'streamline' the process.

'However, we are hearing from our officers that it is becoming harder to achieve the standard of evidence required to charge a suspect and get a case into court,' a statement said.

'Victims tell us clearly how important it is to them to have the evidence tested in this way.

'Investigators are working incredibly hard to try and reach that standard, but in some occasions when they are unable to do so they are taking local decisions through gatekeepers and supervisors.

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Victims' Commissioner Dame Vera Baird suggested ministers should consider taking matters out of the hands of the Director of Public Prosecutions'We are also concerned about the increasing length of time it is taking to reach the point of charge. Many issues are contributing to this including more cases, more material and evidence to gather and the high evidential threshold we need to meet.'

The CPS said it was 'working hard to reverse the trend we've seen in recent years' as a new five-year strategy was unveiled to improve the rate of conviction in rape cases. 

This includes a joint action plan with police and giving officers legal advice early in investigations.

Mr Hill also said more alleged rape victims should be allowed to pre-record evidence to avoid coming to court for trial, and victims who do need to attend should be offered a 'digital walkthrough' of the process so that they know what to expect.

He said 'trends are moving in the right direction', pointing to a rise in the proportion of cases referred to the CPS by police that result in charges.

'I'm very anxious to ensure that everyone understands that the Crown Prosecution Service, just like our partners in the police and everybody else involved in dealing with these truly awful crimes, is keen to do more, to look further and to work harder to improve in the interests of the whole system,' he said.

'What I'm saying today in launching our rape and sexual offences strategy for five years through to 2025 is that the CPS will continue to develop, to train our people and to work out how to help individuals and their cases to come through the criminal justice system.

'We need to continue to achieve a balance between the needs and the rights of victims and those of suspects, but if we work harder we will see continuing improvement.'

Earlier this month, a report from Dame Vera warned that the country is in effect witnessing 'the decriminalisation of rape' and women's groups said the latest figures show this is continuing.

End Violence Against Women director Sarah Green said: 'We have seen a vacuum of leadership and accountability within the CPS when it comes to rape, with no recognition of the harm done to the thousands of survivors being failed by the system.'

According to a report from the Police Foundation published on Wednesday, the number of rapes reported to police rose by 260% between 2013 and 2019.

But data from the Home Office showed that in the 12 months to March just 1.4% of 55,130 offences recorded by police led to prosecution. Of the cases that were closed, 41% collapsed because the victim did not support further action.