PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Armed Forces: Crimes of Violence (10 June 2014)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many investigations of allegations of (a) rape, (b) sexual assault and (c) domestic violence where the alleged offending took place in the UK were investigated by the Royal Military Police in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Asked by:
Emily Thornberry (Labour)

The table below shows the number of recorded investigations by the Royal Military Police for rape, sexual assault and domestic violence where the alleged offending took place in the UK in the years 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Year	Rape	Sexual Assault
2010	~	25
2011	5	20
2012	5	15

The figures have been rounded to the nearest five. The figure “~” represents a sample of less than five. The specific figure has not been disclosed to ensure that the alleged victim(s) cannot be identified. This is in line with the Sexual Offences (Amendments) Act 1976 and 1992.

Because of the way domestic violence statistics are recorded it is taking some time to collate the information. I will write to the hon. Member with an answer shortly.

The Royal Military Police is the Army's police force and together with its Royal Navy and Royal Air Force counterparts, are collectively known as the Service Police. Under Home Office Circular 028/2008, which defines investigative jurisdiction in the UK, primacy generally rests with the civilian police, although the Service Police may take the lead in an investigation if both the suspect and the victim in a particular case are serving members of the Armed Forces.

Answered by:
Anna Soubry (The Independent Group for Change)
18 June 2014