Police Launch Online Guide To Rape Reporting

Rachel Holdsworth
By Rachel Holdsworth Last edited 135 months ago
Police Launch Online Guide To Rape Reporting

The Met has launched a new website offering support for victims of sexual assault and rape, aimed at increasing the number that get reported.

The site, called My Decision, takes people through various steps according to whether they've been assaulted, they know someone who has, they're not sure if what happened counts as assault, they just want help or don't want to go to the police. Obviously the ultimate hope is that the site will reassure anyone who's been the victim of rape or assault that it's fine to report it – an important step in rebuilding confidence after an officer in the Sapphire unit was recently jailed for not following up on cases.

We've had a click round and one obvious omission is any links to other sites. The Havens support centres are repeatedly mentioned, but to get any information about them you have to Google it yourself. London's four rape crisis centres also aren't cited, perhaps because they only deal with women and girls. We've also seen criticism that the campaign yet again puts responsibility on the victim, which reminded us of this clip of comedian Kent Valentine's anti-rape message (from about 2.50-4 minutes; contains swearing).

Last Updated 06 December 2012