One in five criminal cases is dropped despite a suspect being identified due to the apparent reluctance of victims to support a prosecution.
Nearly one million offenders known to police escaped justice in a single year as a result and campaigners say the figure highlights a crisis of confidence in the criminal justice system.
More than 40 per cent of investigations involving rape or violence against the person — which includes domestic violence complaints — and two thirds involving sexual offences did not proceed because of a lack of victim co-operation. Victims were far more likely to support prosecutions in other areas such as drug offending, robbery and weapons offences.
Women’s groups have argued that the treatment of sex offence victims has had a serious
