Women heading out for Christmas drinks have been warned by police not to make themselves easy prey for rapists. Senior officers in England and Wales warned of the risks as the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) launched a campaign to raise awareness.Poster, radio and TV advertisements will urge women to "let your hair down, not your guard", while warning men, "Rape: short word, long sentence."
Many forces record an increase in sex attacks over the festive period. It comes as thousands of people head to pubs, bars and clubs and it is thought that alcohol plays a part in two thirds of all rape cases. In the City there has been a rise in reported cases of rape over December and January in recent years. Last Thursday the head of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Paul Stephenson, said reported rape in London had risen by 25%.
The police campaign aims to raise awareness of a number of steps women can take to protect themselves and tells men of the need to seek consent for sex. Cheshire Chief Constable Dave Whatton, said: "Ultimately we want to prevent rape from occurring in the first place, by arming potential victims with key advice on how to keep themselves safe. But we are also aware of the sad reality that many victims of rape remain silent."
He urged victims to come forward and report attacks, pointing out that there were specialist agencies available to provide support. Tackling rape remains a difficult issue for senior officers who are struggling to drive up a conviction rate of 6.5%.
A government review, led by Baroness Stern, is currently examining how to improve the treatment of rape victims and raise the conviction rate. APA is in discussion with the Department concerned and feels that it should strongly support the call for action given the high number of young, professional, business women in membership; who are often required to be at work late into the evening.
APA
1 comment:
Great to hear that the APA are involved in these discussions.
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