Gender Based Violence: Prosecutions
The question
To ask the Solicitor General, pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2025 to Question 52361, whether her Department has had further discussions with the CPS on (a) the pilot scheme for Operation Soteria in CPS North East and (b) its rollout across the country.
Answered by Ellie Reeves
This Government is committed to halving violence against women and girls within a decade, and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) plays a critical role in achieving this.
Operation Soteria, which concluded in November 2023, was an ambitious joint policing-CPS programme aimed at transforming the investigation and prosecution of adult rape cases.
Operation Soteria informed the launch of the CPS’ National Operating Model for Adult Rape Prosecution (NOM) in July 2023. It sets out a consistent national approach to adult rape prosecutions, built around a suspect-focused, victim-centred, and context-led approach to case building. It includes new processes and guidance materials, bespoke training, and the recruitment of additional prosecutors and operational staff. Every component of the NOM has now been rolled out nationally to the CPS’ specialist Rape and Serious Sexual Offence Units.
Since the NOM’s launch, there have been significant increases in the volume of police referrals, suspects charged, and court receipts for adult rape cases. For example, between Q1 2023/24 (the last quarter before the launch of NOM) and Q1 2025/26 (the CPS' most recent published data), the number of completed prosecutions for adult rape flagged cases has increased by 37%.
However, the CPS recognises the need to maintain momentum and is currently implementing a new Rape Action Plan to ensure every decision in rape cases is robust, every prosecutor is supported, and every victim can have confidence in the justice process.
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