Q2 CPS data shows a continued increase in the number of suspects charged in rape-flagged cases
Between July and September last year, there was a 11.5% increase in the number of suspects charged in adult rape-flagged cases from 599 in Q1 23/24 to 668 in Q2 23/24.
According to the Q2 data released today there has been an increase in adult rape flagged charges of 163% since January 2021.
The number of police referrals for rape-flagged cases has continued to increase, with the number of adult rape-flagged cases brought to the CPS for a charging decision up by 4.8% this quarter, from 1,120 in Q1 23/24 to 1,174 in Q2 23/24. This close working at an early stage is one of our key pledges as part of the new national operating model.
The proportion of suspects charged for adult rape-flagged cases has also increased to 73.2% in Q2 23/24, 1.4 percentage points higher than Q1 23/24.
There has also been a 9.4% increase in the number of completed prosecutions for Adult Rape this quarter.
Last year, the CPS rolled out a new national operating model for adult rape across all 14 CPS Areas in England and Wales with a renewed commitment to work with police to transform adult rape prosecutions and drive-up the number of cases charged.
Stephen Parkinson, Director of Public Prosecutions, said:
"The continued steady increase in the number of rape prosecutions is a consequence of the priority that the CPS and the police are giving to tacking this really serious crime. This is a key priority area for me. I am determined that we maintain our focus, ensuring that cases that ought to be prosecuted are brought before the courts.
“I want to improve what can be a very difficult process for victims, and I know that there is more for us to do, but we will continue to build on what we have achieved by listening to partners and victims.”
Notes to editors
- The Q2 quarterly data summary can be found on the CPS website. This is CPS performance management data.
For the first time this data includes the median average number of days to complete a charging decision. For all crime this is two days. - Rape-flagged cases: Data is rape-flagged in all cases where an allegation of rape has been made regardless of the final offence.
- The rape flag remains even if a decision is taken to charge an offence other than rape or where a rape charge is subsequently amended. This is to ensure we’re properly applying our rape and serious sexual offences policy.
- The flag allows us to track and monitor trends, for example around decisions to take no further action. We review all rape-flagged cases to understand how they progressed and identify potential learnings.
- When we looked at every rape-flagged case flagged during 2022 we saw that 85% of cases initially marked as rape-flagged prosecutions had at least one rape offence charged. A further 12% were prosecuted in a Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Unit, so would have been charged as a serious sexual offence.