WOMEN who claim to have been raped should be seen by a specialist police officer within one hour of reporting the incident, the government will announce this week.

Vernon Coaker, the Home Office minister, will say rape victims must be interviewed by staff with specific training in dealing with such cases immediately they report them.

The move is part of a government campaign to increase the number of rape convictions. It follows concerns about the proportion of cases failing to reach court and the low conviction rate. The government estimates up to 95% of rapes are never reported, while the proportion of rape allegations that result in a guilty plea or verdict is only 6.5%.

There is evidence, however, that conviction rates could be improved if victims are seen by experts quickly.

In 2007, a report by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate found many police officers dealing with rape victims lacked training and were not aware of the need to follow relevant guidance. Victims were found to experience delays, “unpleasant environments”, inappropriate behaviour by professionals, insensitive questioning and “judgmental or disbelieving attitudes”.

The need to deal efficiently with sexual offences was further highlighted last month when John Worboys was convicted of sexually assaulting a string of women. Lapses in the investigation meant he was twice allowed to slip the net.

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