Complaints about response to reports of rape - West Yorkshire Police, June 2017

Over a two-day period in June 2017, a woman made repeated attempts to report to West Yorkshire Police (WYP) that she had been raped. She alleged that, during this time, a number of police officers with whom she had contact failed to deal with her complaints appropriately.

WYP’s safeguarding unit referred the matter to the Professional Standards Department, who then made a conduct referral to us in respect of three officers. During the course of our investigation, the woman made specific allegations that one of these officers had been dismissive of her complaints of rape and been rude towards her.

During our investigation, we interviewed or obtained accounts from two subject officers (a third had retired from the police and declined to provide a response to the allegations). We also gathered a number of witness statements from other police officers and members of the public. We examined audio recordings of Airwave radio communications, along with documentary evidence.

We found no indication that any person serving with the police may have committed a criminal offence, but did find that there was sufficient evidence upon which a reasonable tribunal, properly directed, could find a case to answer for misconduct in respect of one serving officer and the retired officer, had he still been serving with WYP. We found that there was insufficient evidence in respect of the other officer.

WYP agreed that, had the retired officer still been serving, they would have had a case to answer for misconduct. They also agreed that the serving officer had a case to answer. The officer attended a misconduct meeting in autumn 2018, where they received a written warning.