{"id":41886,"date":"2024-12-13T11:37:36","date_gmt":"2024-12-13T11:37:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwejournalism.net\/bowernews\/?p=41886"},"modified":"2026-06-10T15:24:35","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T14:24:35","slug":"youll-be-believed-chief-constable-makes-promise-to-sexual-violence-victims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uwejournalism.net\/bowernews\/2024\/12\/13\/youll-be-believed-chief-constable-makes-promise-to-sexual-violence-victims\/","title":{"rendered":"“You’ll be believed”: Chief constable makes promise to sexual violence victims"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Image: Avon and Somerset Police<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Victims and survivors of violence against women and girls “will be believed”, the chief constable of Avon and Somerset Police has said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This comes after figures released for the last year show that almost 40,000 crimes fitting the category of violence against women and girls were reported to Avon and Somerset Police between October 2023 and September 2024 – almost a quarter of the total 160,000 crimes reported in that time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Avon and Somerset also has one of the worst charging rates in the country; police take an average of 626 days to charge perpetrators, which is more than double the national average of 306.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chief Constable Sarah Crew told a Police Question Time panel that victims were reluctant to report incidents to the police.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“You\u2019ll be believed. I think that\u2019s the most important thing I can say. So often people feel that they won\u2019t be. I think that\u2019s often the first and most important thing someone wants to feel. People come forward to the police for a range of reasons, but safety is often a priority as well as seeking justice so \u2013 your safety is our priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re here to support you and that can be done by policing, but it can be done by others as well, particularly if you still harbour some concern about policing. I\u2019m thinking of the sexual assault referral centres or the services of independent sexual violence advisors who can guide you and navigate with you through the process\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re in control, this isn\u2019t the police taking the power away from you. This is working with you and involving you in the decisions to be made about what happens next.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Join our Police Question Time special today at 3pm!\ud83d\udcfa Join on: LinkedIn – https:\/\/t.co\/uyd0rx9O5e<\/a> Facebook – https:\/\/t.co\/8JCfYWkCt2<\/a>

(1\/3) pic.twitter.com\/710Q5s5ftj<\/a><\/p>— Avon & Somerset Police & Crime Commissioner (@AandSPCC) December 9, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote>