Rape Conviction Rates in England & Wales

Analysis of Home Office data shows the gulf between reported cases of rape and those that end with a conviction. In 1980, one in three reported rapes ended in convictions. Today only one in 20 does. Only about half of reported rapes get past the initial police investigation stage and a quarter end up being reported as no crime having taken place. As the map and table below demonstrate, success rates vary widely between police forces.

Rape Conviction Rates - 2007
	Police Force	Rate
1	Cleveland Police	18.1%
2	North Yorkshire Police	15.4%
3	Cumbria Constabulary	12.3%
4	South Yorkshire Police	11.5%
5	Cheshire Constabulary	10.4%
6	Lancashire Constabulary	10.3%
7	Nottinghamshire Police	10.0%
8	Gwent Police	9.7%
9	Humberside Police	9.7%
10	Norfolk Constabulary	9.6%
11	North Wales Police	8.5%
12	Staffordshire Police	8.5%
13	West Yorkshire Police	8.3%
14	Metropolitan Police	8.2%
15	Northumbria Police	8.1%
16	Sussex Police	7.5%
17	Northamptonshire Police	7.1%
18	South Wales Police	7.1%
19	West Midlands Police	7.1%
20	Dyfed Powys Police	6.9%
21	Bedfordshire Police	6.7%
22	Kent Police	6.6%
23	Hertfordshire Constabulary	6.5%
24	Merseyside Police	6.5%
25	Thames Valley Police	6.5%
26	Greater Manchester Police	6.1%
27	Derbyshire Constabulary	6.0%
28	Wiltshire Constabulary	6.0%
29	Devon & Cornwall Constabulary	5.6%
30	Avon & Somerset Constabulary	5.2%
31	Durham Constabulary	4.5%
32	Hampshire Constabulary	4.5%
33	Lincolnshire Police	4.5%
34	West Mercia Constabulary	4.5%
35	Gloucestershire Constabulary	4.4%
36	Leicestershire Constabulary	4.4%
37	Surrey Police	3.6%
38	Cambridgeshire Constabulary	3.1%
39	Essex Police	3.1%
40	Suffolk Constabulary	3.1%
41	Warwickshire Police	2.9%
42	Dorset Police	1.6%

Rape Convictions Rates - 2006
	Police Force	Rate
1	Cleveland Police	13.2%
2	Lancashire Constabulary	11.2%
3	Cheshire Constabulary	11.1%
4	South Yorkshire Police	9.6%
5	Humberside Police	9.4%
6	Norfolk Constabulary	9.2%
7	North Yorkshire Police	9.0%
8	Derbyshire Constabulary	8.6%
9	Cumbria Constabulary	8.3%
10	Wiltshire Constabulary	8.3%
11	Gloucestershire Constabulary	7.4%
12	Northamptonshire Police	7.2%
13	Dorset Police	7.0%
14	West Yorkshire Police	7.0%
15	Northumbria Police	6.9%
16	Greater Manchester Police	6.6%
17	Durham Constabulary	6.6%
18	Metropolitan Police	6.4%
19	Nottinghamshire Police	6.4%
20	West Mercia Constabulary	6.3%
21	Suffolk Constabulary	6.0%
22	South Wales Police	5.9%
23	West Midlands Police	5.9%
24	Merseyside Police	5.8%
25	Warwickshire Police	5.8%
26	Kent Police	5.5%
27	Thames Valley Police	5.3%
28	Devon & Cornwall Constabulary	5.2%
29	Gwent Police	5.1%
30	Lincolnshire Police	5.0%
31	Hampshire Constabulary	4.8%
32	Hertfordshire Constabulary	4.4%
33	Avon & Somerset Constabulary	4.2%
34	Essex Police	4.0%
35	North Wales Police	3.7%
36	Staffordshire Police	3.5%
37	Surrey	3.5%
38	Bedfordshire Police	3.2%
39	Cambridgeshire Constabulary	3.2%
40	Sussex Police	3.2%
41	Dyfed Powys Police	3.1%
42	Leicestershire Constabulary	2.8%

Rape Convictions Rates - 2005
	Police Force	Rate
1	Northamptonshire Police	13.79%
2	Cumbria Constabulary	12.79%
3	South Wales Police	12.18%
4	South Yorkshire Police	10.74%
5	North Yorkshire Police	9.74%
6	Durham Constabulary	9.18%
7	West Yorkshire Police	8.70%
8	Bedfordshire Police	8.33%
9	Cleveland Police	7.75%
10	Derbyshire Constabulary	7.55%
11	Lancashire Constabulary	7.45%
12	Hertfordshire Constabulary	6.95%
13	Gwent Police	6.48%
14	Cheshire Constabulary	6.44%
15	Northumbria Police	6.35%
16	West Mercia Constabulary	6.20%
17	West Midlands Police	6.19%
18	Wiltshire Constabulary	6.00%
19	Merseyside Police	5.58%
20	Staffordshire Police	5.33%
21	Norfolk Constabulary	5.13%
22	Nottinghamshire Police	4.91%
23	Metropolitan Police	4.88%
24	Avon & Somerset Constabulary	4.76%
25	North Wales Police	4.71%
26	Dyfed Powys Police	4.55%
27	Devon & Cornwall Constabulary	4.01%
28	Greater Manchester Police	3.98%
29	Thames Valley Police	3.97%
30	Leicestershire Constabulary	3.85%
31	Dorset Police	3.66%
32	Surrey Police	3.65%
33	Kent Police	3.55%
34	Essex Police	3.49%
35	Warwickshire Police	3.41%
36	Sussex Police	3.35%
37	Lincolnshire Police	3.06%
38	Hampshire Constabulary	2.98%
39	Humberside Police	2.85%
40	Cambridgeshire Constabulary	1.75%
41	Suffolk Constabulary	1.60%
42	Gloucestershire Constabulary	0.86%

Summary of figures for 2007

Rape conviction rate figures for 2007 demonstrate a growing gap between police force areas - women who report rape are more than eleven times more likely to secure a conviction for rape in some areas than others:

• In Cleveland almost one in five reported rapes led to a conviction for rape
• In Dorset, less than one in sixty women who report rape secured a conviction for rape.

Worryingly, the rape conviction rates between 2006 and 2007 fell in 16 out of 42 police force areas.

Some police force areas have demonstrated that improvement is possible - Cleveland continued to improve since 2004: 7.75% (2004); 13.2% (2006); and 18.1% (2007).

However, in many forces performance remains poor - 12 police force areas, more than one in four, had a rape conviction rate of less than five percent in 2007.

Summary of figures for 2006

1. In some areas women who report rape are almost five times less likely to achieve a conviction than in others.
2. In Leicestershire, less than one in thirty five women who report rape secure a conviction. In Cleveland, one in seven reported rapes are convicted.
3. The conviction rate has got worse in 18 out of 43 police areas since 2004.
4. In many areas, convictions rates have dropped dramatically, falling by over 60% in Bedfordshire.

Detailed statistics presented by The Fawcett Society are shown in the document and map linked below:

• Regional rape convictions rates in England and Wales 2004-2006 (PDF 65kB)
• Map showing regional rape conviction rates 2006 (PDF 317kB)

Katherine Rake, Director of the Fawcett Society, said:
"These disturbing figures reveal that women face a postcode lottery when reporting rape to the police. It is entirely unacceptable that the standard of service rape victims receive is dependent on where they live."

Summary of figures for 2005

For more statistical information, please visit: www.crimestatistics.org.uk
For more information, please visit: www.cer.truthaboutrape.co.uk