Will the John Worboys case force the police to take rape seriously?

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/feb/28/john-warboys-police-take-rape-seriously

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oYet again the Metropolitan police have let down rape victims, but this time they will be made to pay.

In a landmark decision on a case against the Metropolitan police, brought by two victims of serial rapist John Worboys, the police have been found liable for failing to conduct an adequate investigation into the women's complaints. This failure has been judged a violation of their human rights, and they are now eligible to claim compensation.

The Worboys case is nothing short of a scandal. Between 2003 and 2008 Worboys attacked more than 100 women. At least 10 victims reported attacks to the police before he was eventually arrested and charged in 2008. Worboys had been interviewed by police previously but they chose to believe that a black-cab driver had not committed such a crime, and took his word over that of the complainant. What a disgrace – had investigating officers believed the women who approached them, in 2003 and 2007 respectively, Worboys may well have been prevented from committing further crimes against women.

Both of the victims who brought the case to court have suffered psychological harm as a result of the treatment by police. Are police not supposed to make it better for victims of crime, not worse?

Victims of rape are not a priority for the police. Despite four decades of campaigning by feminists and human rights campaigners, women who report are often not believed, but instead treated as though they are to blame, and rarely given access to justice. No wonder so few can bear to report the crime. I have experienced serious sexual assault. I did not report it at the time, despite being involved in feminist campaigning for better rape laws, and I would not dream of doing so today, for all of the reasons highlighted in the Worboys case.

As if being raped is not bad enough, both women felt tremendous guilt when the police failed to nail Worboys. One, known as DSD, said in an interview after the judgment that, "The blame is laid at [the police's] feet now, not mine." She says she always knew Worboys would strike again after getting away with the assault on her.

This case shows the culture of disrespect, disbelief and disregard towards rape victims within the police. It has long been argued by feminists that police often can't be bothered with rape complaints unless they are of the serial stranger sort. What is deeply disturbing is that Worboys fitted this description and still they failed to take it seriously.

Senior, experienced police officers know what needs to be done to shift this culture of apathy and ignorance but there are no awards or accolades for helping lock up rapists. Caught up in a circle of complacent, persuasive mythology and victim blaming, police know that jurors are reluctant to convict unless there is CCTV footage of a woman being dragged into a hedge by a masked, armed man who is shouting, "I am going to rape you", and even then he would probably convincingly argue that it was a "sex game" gone wrong. This has led to many police officers giving up before even trying.

Usually in cases where systemic failings are brought to light, officers responsible are given nothing more than "words of warning" following internal disciplinary hearings. Perhaps things would change if they were automatically sacked. Urgent action is required, because nothing will change while rape is seen as an occupational hazard for women who go out late at night.

The police officers who failed to bring Worboys to justice are at least in part responsible for subsequent attacks on vulnerable victims. It is thanks to the two courageous women who brought this case that in future, police, not the women, will be forced to pay the price.