Northumberland is a leader in caring for the victims of sexual assaults. Women's Editor Christen Pears looks at some of the force's pioneering work.

A WOMAN has been raped. She feels violated, terrified, alone. The thought of reporting the attack daunts her. She's embarrassed and she knows that even if she decides to go ahead with the case, the chances of securing a conviction are small. She would rather curl up and sob and forget the whole thing - and this is what many women do.

But Northumbria Police is encouraging victims to come forward. The force is one of Britain's most sensitive and innovative when it comes to dealing with rape and serious sexual assault. Specially trained officers support women through their ordeal, while the latest forensic techniques are increasing conviction rates.

The force has recently revised its policy for handling allegations of rape and serious sexual assault, recognising the traumatic impact these attacks have on a victim and their family, and placing their needs and wishes firmly at its centre.

The new policy was drawn up in line with the Sexual Offences Bill - the biggest shake-up in the law on sex offences for 50 years - which will come into force by May next year. Among its provisions is that a rapist will have to be honest and reasonable in his belief that he took reasonable steps to ensure his partner consented to sex. There is also a new definition of consent. This aims to increase the conviction rate, which currently stands at just seven per cent.

Detective Superintendent Tony Thornton, who led the team which overhauled the policy, says: "Northumbria Police is committed to the professional, ethical and compassionate investigation of such offences.

"The foundation of the policy is that we accept reports or serious sexual offences made by victims or third parties as genuine, with all allegations thoroughly and ethically investigated and recorded.

'Only in exceptional circumstances will be override the victim's wishes on whether a case may proceed - for example in cases where it is in the public interest to proceed."

Dozens of officers throughout the force have been trained as Sexual Offence Liaison Officers (SOLOs) to deal with the care of victims, gather initial information and arrange medical examinations and referrals. Only officers trained to a high level in interview techniques are allowed to interview the victim.

Once a woman has reported an assault, she is taken by her liaison officer to REACH which operates two specialist sexual assault referral centres, where she is given a forensic medical examination and receives counselling.

The service was started in 1986 by a team of women doctors who realised that an on-call rota of specialists would provide a better service to female victims of rape and sexual assaults. Initially, they conducted their medical examinations at different locations - A&E departments and GP surgeries. In 1991, the opening of two centres, the Rhona Cross centre in Newcastle and the Ellis Fraser in Sunderland, brought together facilities for medical examination, counselling, support and advice under one roof. In 1996, the service was expanded to help men.

REACH was only the second facility of its type in Britain and is still just one of seven. In recent evaluations, it was shown to have the best practice of all the centres.

The service is managed by former Northumbria police officer Jackie Clark. She says: "The big thing about REACH is that it's safe, secure and anonymous and it is based on trust. We work with the police but if someone wants to come in as a non-police referral, they still have all the facilities available to them. It's also a non-clinical environment, which helps people to relax during what is a terrible time for them."

There are four separate waiting rooms and the centre operates a strict appointment system so even when it is busy, the victims know they will remain totally anonymous.

Jackie says: "It can often be difficult for a victim to come forward but once they are in the hands of the police, they know they are going to be safe and secure. The police and the primary care trust are leading the way in victim care and have done for some years."

As well as dealing with current victims, Northumbria Police operates a groundbreaking forensic review of undetected sex crimes. Operation Phoenix was set up in February 2002 and was the first of its kind in the UK. It still remains the most far-reaching and has been used as a model by other forces.

A partnership between the police, the Forensic Science Service, the CPS and Victim Support, it applies the latest forensic techniques to undetected serious rapes and serious sexual assaults carried out during the 1980s and 90s.

These techniques were not available when the offences were committed but evidence collected at the time has been stored and is now being re-examined.

DNA profiles - each person's unique genetic coding - are being extracted from old samples. These are fed into the national DNA database, where they are matched against existing profiles, known as a DNA 'hit', or added to the database for a possible hit in the future.

Once a hit occurs, the circumstances of the original offence are examined, the CPS is consulted and a decision is made on whether to re-open the investigation.

To date, the team has obtained 33 DNA profiles which have matched named people on the database. The first conviction came earlier this year when Mark Wilkinson from Sunderland was jailed for five years after being convicted of rape which took place in 1995.

This was followed by a nine-year jail sentence for Stanley Riches for a rape in 1992 and most recently for Gary Mitchell, who was convicted of raping a woman in Birtley in 1987. He is due to be sentenced early in the New Year.

Detective Inspector Garry Dixon says: "Operation Phoenix underpins the commitment of Northumbria Police to the investigation of rape, no matter how long ago the attack took place.

"This conviction is part of the continuing success of Operation Phoenix and demonstrates once again how it is creating new opportunities to bring offenders to justice. We're also pleased that the conviction should enable the victim to achieve a measure of closure."

Two further people are due in court before the end of this year and several other cases are in various stages of development.

Northumbria Police are hosting a seminar tomorrow, focusing on the victims of sexual assault. The keynote speaker will be Redcar MP Vera Baird QC, a legal expert on sexual offences and a prominent campaigner for changes in the law governing rape. She says: "The message I will be giving is that the new provisions on rape and serious sexual assault can make a major difference but all the players in the criminal justice system need to be aware of them for that to happen."

The event is aimed at professionals involved in the investigation of sexual assaults, forensic medical examiners, prosecutors and those who provide care and support for victims.

Victims can contact the REACH centres for further information, appointments or advice on 0191-212 1551 (Newcastle) or 0191-565 3725 (Sunderland). The service is available whether or not victims want the police to be involved.