Treating victims and survivors of rape and sexual abuse with understanding and empathy is core to the Police Ombudsman’s commitment to addressing the harm caused by sexual offending, the organisation’s Chief Executive has said.
Hugh Hume was speaking after about 40 Police Ombudsman investigators completed training delivered by Nexus, a charity which supports people impacted by sexual abuse and abusive relationships.
He said the bespoke training had developed investigators’ understanding of sexual crime and provided them with skills and techniques to better support victims and survivors, while also debunking common myths around the subject.
“Sexual crime has a devastating impact on victims, their families and wider society,” he said. “It’s vitally important that we as an organisation are equipped to support those who report sexual misconduct or criminality by a police officer, or have been let down by the police response to sexual crime.
“Since 2020, six police officers have been dismissed or convicted for abusing their role for sexual purposes following investigations by the Police Ombudsman’s Office. We have dealt with other cases where victims felt that police were unsupportive, insensitive or had failed to properly investigate sexual crimes against them.
“The training delivered by Nexus is part of our commitment to ensure that our investigators offer the highest levels of support and understanding to victims, while better understanding the modus operandi of perpetrators so that they can be held to account for the damage they cause.
“About 500 PSNI officers have recently undertaken similar training, as have prosecutors from the Public Prosecution Service, and my hope is that these complementary initiatives will ensure a better all-round criminal justice experience for those affected.”
The training sought in particular to challenge any unconscious bias around sexual crime, in line with a recommendation contained in the Gillen Review. The Review was commissioned by the Department of Justice in 2018 and made a total of 253 recommendations to improve criminal justice outcomes and the experiences of victims.
Unconscious bias is often grounded on common myths about rape and sexual abuse which can lead victims to blame themselves or question whether what happened to them was a crime.
Common societal misconceptions challenged during the training included that a victim can be somehow to blame if they have taken alcohol or drugs, or because of what they were wearing, or if there had been flirting, kissing or sexual contact before the alleged offence.
Others included that men and sex workers cannot be raped or sexually assaulted, that too much time has passed since an offence, or that victims should be extremely upset, rather than recognising that there is no “right” way to react.
Jan Winton, Nexus Early Intervention and Prevention Manager, who developed the training, said: “As advocates for victims and survivors of sexual crimes, it has been important for Nexus to support the Police Ombudsman’s Office to challenge any internal unconscious bias.
“Through the training we challenged many common rape myths and upskilled Police Ombudsman investigators to understand how trauma affects the human brain and the importance of the language used when responding to allegations of rape and sexual abuse.
“It was clear that the investigators positively engaged with the training and left with increased knowledge of issues including the impact of grooming, trauma, barriers to reporting, rape myths and misogyny. Importantly, they reported having more awareness of how a victim may be feeling, thinking and acting and how to support them through the reporting process.”
Mr Hume urged anyone concerned about the police response to a report of rape or sexual abuse, about a police officer having acted in a sexual manner towards them, or having abused their role in a bid to initiate a relationship, to report the matter to the Police Ombudsman’s Office.
“Such behaviour has no place in policing, it undermines confidence which can lead to under-reporting of sexual crime or misconduct. We will treat all such allegations with the seriousness they warrant.
“Having completed this training, our investigators are better equipped than ever before to treat victims with the understanding and sensitivity that’s required after they have summoned the courage to make a report.”