According to the findings of a new study, a third of victims of crime would never report a crime again because they had such a poor experience with the police.
The survey was conducted by the Victim’s Commissioner, Dame Vera Baird. It involved almost 600 victims of a variety of crimes including rape and assault.
It found that just 43 per cent of respondents would be willing to report an offence to the police again after their prior experiences.
Over a third (thirty-four per cent) said they would not, highlighting a lack of support, information and respect from police officers throughout, as well as ineffective prosecutors and court delays.
One in six victims (17 per cent) felt people could get justice by reporting incidents to the police, while just six per cent said victims were fully supported by the CPS.
Only a quarter said they were kept regularly informed about the investigation, and just four in 10 felt they were treated with respect and fairness by police.
More women were unhappy with their experiences than men. Less than one in 10 female victims (9 per cent) felt the criminal justice system was effective, with one in seven men (16 per cent) feeling the same.
Speaking about the findings, Dame Vera Baird said: “Victims want to be treated with fairness and respect by the police, for the crime to be investigated and to be kept informed of the progress of the case. These are hardly arduous asks.
“All too often victims are still treated as an afterthought, a bystander to proceedings, rather than the valued participant they should be.”
Separate Home Office data has revealed that police are having to abandon more than a quarter of investigations because victims refuse to support the prosecution. A number that has trebled since 2014/15.
Currently, only seven per cent of crimes now result in a charge, compared with 15.5 per cent six years ago.
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