North-East police forces wrongly cancelled reports of sexual and violent offences

Every force across the region and North Yorkshire was found to have wrongly cancelled a number of offences, meaning they were never investigated as they should have been.

An investigation by the BBC Shared Data Unit, found that in some cases victims had not been told that their reported crime would no longer be investigated by the police force.

The data is from the most reports published from HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire Rescue Services (HMICFRS)

It details whether inspectors believed the correct decisions were taken to cancel them in a sample of crimes.

It found that Durham Police had wrongly cancelled reports of crime relating to offences including robbery, violence and sexual offences.

The investigation found that out of 33 sexual offences reported, six per cent were wrongly cancelled.

Out of 33 violent offences, 21 per cent were wrongly cancelled, and out of 14 robbery offences, 7 per cent were wrongly cancelled.

The data on whether victims were told about the cancellation of their reports was not available for the force at time of publication.

Durham Police's most recent inspection by HMICFRS in 2017 found the accuracy of its crime recording was good.

In North Yorkshire, the data found that out of 22 rape offences, five per cent were cancelled.

Out of 22 sexual offences, 14 per cent were cancelled, and out of 20 violent offences, 10 per cent were cancelled.

The review found that out of 20 victims, 40 per cent of them were not informed that their report had been cancelled.

North Yorkshire Police's most recent inspection by HMICFRS in 2019 found the accuracy of its crime recording was good.

In Hartlepool and Teesside, Cleveland Police saw a number of sexual and violent offences wrongly cancelled upon review.

It found that out of 19 sexual offences, 11 per cent were cancelled and out of 22 violent offences, 9 per cent were cancelled - there were no reports of wrongly cancelled crimes regarding rape and robbery.

Cleveland Police's most recent inspection by HMICFRS in 2018 found the accuracy of its crime recording was good.

In Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Northumbria Police wrongly cancelled reports of crime relating to sexual offences, violent offences and robbery offences.

The investigation found that out of 20 sexual offences, 5 per cent were cancelled, out of 20 violent offences, 5 per cent were cancelled and out of 20 robbery offences, 5 per cent were also cancelled. 

Northumbria Police's most recent inspection by HMICFRS in 2016 found the accuracy of its crime recording was inadequate.

What the Home Office has said

A spokesperson for the Home Office said: “We recognise the impact that crimes such as rape can have on victims and we want offenders charged and brought to justice. We expect crimes reported to the police to be investigated appropriately.

“We provide clear guidance to forces on when it is appropriate to cancel crimes and how this should be done and we expect them to comply with this to ensure victims have the confidence to report crime.”

'Investigative resources are slim'

The investigation, which looked at forces across the UK, prompted the research director of a police think tank to highlight the natures of the crimes reported is where forces are most "strained".

Andy Higgins, research director at think tank the Police Foundation, said: "Investigative resources are extremely limited and with the massive increases we've seen in sexual offences, particular strategies are put in place to try and strategise and prioritise.

"The volumes [of crimes] are massive, investigative resources are slim and will be handled by different people in different forces. It's one of those areas where the strain is. 

“The bigger story is around investigator numbers, who's holding crime and the fact that the prestige CID days have gone by or aren't there any more. It's high stress, low workloads and complex stuff around rape and sexual offences.” 

In response to the findings nationally, the National Police Chiefs' Council said it was working to "further improve" the accuracy of crime reporting as it said some cases may not indicate a failure in the force's duty. 

A spokesman said: "Our priority is to ensure that victims have the confidence to report crimes, safe in the knowledge that they will be fully investigated and that they will receive appropriate support and information.

"We are working to further improve the accuracy of crime reporting, which is governed by detailed counting rules set out by the Home Office.

"The accurate recording of crime can be influenced by many factors which may not be clear at the beginning of an investigation.

"The transfer of cases from one force to another, or a different crime to the one reported being identified following an initial investigation, can impact on these figures and does not represent a recording failure.

"Additionally, it may become apparent that a crime never actually happened. In these cases, police will use the verifiable information they have obtained to justify closing a case, and will never close a case if they are merely unclear as to whether a crime happened or not.

"Forces receive regular audits from HMICFRS and work to meet objectives within their action plans through the use of in-force scrutiny panels, independent oversight, and with the help of crime incident registrars who can assist officers with the appropriate classification and recording requirements."