Just 3% of Nottinghamshire sex offences result in charge - but police say they're 'doing everything possible'
Just over 140 charges have resulted from more than 4,200 rape and sexual offences reported to Nottinghamshire Police in the course of 12 months, new data has revealed. This is the equivalent of only 3 per cent.
Data obtained through a Freedom of Information request by Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice to Nottinghamshire Police shows more than 4,200 sexual offences were reported to the force between September 2023 and September 2024. This was up by 20 per cent from the year before, when 3,509 offences were reported.
A total of 145 offences resulted in a charge in 2023/2024, however. The reports included offences such as exposure or voyeurism, incest, sexual activity with a child under 16, sexual assault and rape.
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Rape of a female over 16 was the most common offence reported, with 1,107 reports resulting in 32 charges. This was followed by sexual assault on a female over 13, with 1,025 reports and 43 charges.
According to the data, most victims, 1,696 of them, were aged under 18, followed by the 18-30 age group, for which 1,169 victims were recorded. The most perpetrators were aged between 31 and 40 - 929 of them.
This was followed by the 18-30 and under 18 age groups. Superintendent Richard Bull, of Nottinghamshire Police's public protection unit, explained the force's statistics were above average and claimed it was doing "doing everything possible" to help victims.
"Offences of rape and serious sexual assault are some of the most sensitive and complex cases that we investigate and we acknowledge the devastating impact that these crimes have on victim-survivors. It is for these reasons that alongside the CPS, we treat these cases as high priority and only allow them to be investigated by dedicated teams of specially-trained investigators."
Supt Bull explained that the force has also recently started rolling out training through the College of Policing Serious Sexual Assault Investigative Development Programme, which has recently been launched. He said: "We are committed to doing everything possible to achieve justice for victim-survivors.
"This is shown by the fact our charging rate is significantly above the regional and national average. In 2023/24, 7.9 per cent of rapes reported to us resulted in a charge or charges.
"For context, the national average for the same period was 2.6 per cent. For other sexual offences, our charging rate was 10.9 per cent, compared to the national rate of 4.2 per cent."
The officer added that multiple forces have piloted a range of ways of working with the CPS to improve the manner in which sexual offences are investigated, as well as subsequent prosecutions. Supt Bull said: "The findings from these pilots were extensively reviewed and Nottinghamshire Police swiftly adopted the new national operation model, called Operation Soteria.
"his has ensured effective and timely investigations, quicker charging decisions, improved outcomes at court and better partnership working." The force is also actively engaging in the Consent Coalition, a group of organisations in Nottingham working to highlight the importance of consent.
The group also works to banish myths about rape and sexual violence and encourage victims to seek support. Survivors are also supported through the Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Nottingham, which offers free practical help to people aged over 18.
Supt Bull said: "We understand that victim-survivors of these offences are often coming to us for help at the most difficult time in their lives, and I want them to know that we will do everything in our power to support them. That said, a recent Government review acknowledged that not all victim-survivors who report incidents to the police want to proceed with a criminal justice outcome.
"As such, measuring charge rates within a 12-month period against the volume of crime reported can be sometimes misleading. We would urge anyone who has been a victim-survivor of a sexual offence to please come forward and get the support they rightly deserve.
"Whether a victim-survivor chooses to involve the police or not, support is available to everyone."
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