VRR requests (1065A/21)
Request
- For each year since 2015 please provide the number of VRR requests received by your force.
- For each year since 2015 please provide your data for outcomes of VRR requests received – this may include investigations re-opened, cases referred to CPS, or decisions to charge – or any other data you collect on outcomes.
- For each of the requests above in questions 1 and 2 please provide the details for:
- Total VRR requests for all crime types
- VRR requests in cases of rape and serious sexual assault
- VRR requests in cases of domestic abuse
- Please confirm how officers are allocated to review VRRs.
- Please confirm whether any specific training is given to officers carrying out VRRs.
- Please confirm whether, for VRRs involving rape and serious sexual offences, or domestic abuse, there is any requirement for officers carrying out the reviews to have specialist knowledge of those types of offences.
Response
Please find enclosed our response.
- For each year since 2015 please provide the number of VRR requests received by your force.
- For each year since 2015 please provide your data for outcomes of VRR requests received – this may include investigations re-opened, cases referred to CPS, or decisions to charge – or any other data you collect on outcomes.
- For each of the requests above in questions 1 and 2 please provide the details for:
- Total VRR requests for all crime types
- VRR requests in cases of rape and serious sexual assault
- VRR requests in cases of domestic abuse
For all the above questions please see “attachment 1065A_21”.
Please note that for these results the following applies:
The ‘Outside the Scope’ of VRR was for various reasons, notably:
- Not a crime
- Suspect not identified
- Suspect identified but not interviewed
- CPS were decision makers
- A charge or Out of Court Disposal had been administered
- Historic offence
We cannot distinguish between Sexual Assault and Serious Sexual Assault in the data so have included all.
Also, where the case was reopened, a charge or NFA may have been the eventual outcome, but we don’t capture that data.
- Please confirm how officers are allocated to review VRRs.
VRRs are allocated to the DCI in charge of the team who made the original decision. They may delegate to a DI if the original decision was made by a Sgt. Therefore theoretically all DIs and DCIs in the Force.
- Please confirm whether any specific training is given to officers carrying out VRRs.
When the policy was first introduced, reviewing officers were sent guidance with each application, and signposted to the policy. Most are now familiar with the policy but the same process is followed for officers transferred or promoted into posts where they will receive VRR requests.
- Please confirm whether, for VRRs involving rape and serious sexual offences, or domestic abuse, there is any requirement for officers carrying out the reviews to have specialist knowledge of those types of offences
Yes, as above, these VRR requests will be allocated to the PPU DCI in charge of that team so will themselves have specialist knowledge.