PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Rape: Criminal Investigation (22 June 2020)

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance she has given to police forces on continuing rape investigations when victims refuse to hand over their mobile phones to the police because of privacy concerns; and if she will make a statement.

Asked by:
Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat)

The requirement for police and prosecutors to pursue all reasonable lines of enquiry should be balanced with victims feeling confident that they will be treated fairly and with dignity. The Home Office welcomes the Information Commissioner’s recent report into current practice in relation to data taken from mobile phones.

The College of Policing, which leads on providing guidance to police forces on operational activity and standards, are already in the process of developing guidance for investigators who make decisions on the use of mobile data extraction.

The Home Office will support the College on this work and, with other policing partners and the Crown Prosecution Service, will consider the recommendations made by the Information Commissioner.

Further to this, as part of work under the Governments Rape Review, evidence is being gathered to enable us to better understand how handling and outcomes for rape cases could be improved.? This includes looking at the impact of the number of victims withdrawing their support for prosecution and will be published later this year.

Answered by:
Kit Malthouse (Conservative)
3 July 2020