Police engagement with victim-survivors of rape and sexual assault: Initial findings of the 'Operation Bluestone/Soteria' study

In England and Wales, public trust in the police has been damaged by a series of police failings in rape and sexual assault investigations, officer sexual offending and a police culture of misogyny. Feminist scholars have analysed why police investigations of rape and sexual assault cases rarely result in a charge,and documented the poor experiences many victim-survivors have of the police process.

In this talk, Dr Hohl will outline the impact of how officers engage with victim-survivors, as well as on their trust in the police, and willingness to (continue) engaging with police, or report future victimisation.

The talk will discuss present evidence from the pilot study (“Project Bluestone”), in one English police force that suggests a feminist scholarship informed Procedural Justice framework is a promising tool for assessing and improving police practice in engaging with victim survivors of rape and sexual assault. The presentation will also discuss Operation Soteria, which was launched as a response to the government End-to-End Rape Review, with the Home Office pledging to increase the number of rape cases making it to court.

Microsoft Teams Platform link to the talk below:

https://tinyurl.com/3wepu6ay

This 40-minute talk will take place via Microsoft Teams, with 15 - 20 minutes afterwards for questions.