‘Significant variations’ in forensic provision for victims of sexual crime in Scotland

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS) has published its report on provision of services for forensic examinations across Scotland for victims of sexual crime. 

HMICS Strategic Overview of Provision of Forensic Medical Services to Victims of Sexual Crime looking into how adult and child victims of sexual crime access forensic medical services found  significant variations in availability and quality around Scotland, with services offered to some victims being described as ‘unacceptable’.

The report welcomes the announcement of nationwide standards by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice in February 2017 alongside greater clarity around the statutory responsibilities for delivering these services. These will be critical to improving how victims of sexual crime obtain the medical attention they need while ensuring forensic evidence is also gathered for criminal justice processes.

Evidence for the review was gathered over a six month period and identified a number of issues affecting the quality of service delivered to victims of sexual crime in Scotland.

Gill Imery (pictured), Assistant Inspector of Constabulary at HMICS, who led the review, said: “Sexual crimes have a devastating effect on victims and so it is imperative that the support they receive, both from health and criminal justice professionals is high quality and consistent irrespective of where they live.

“The priority of forensic medical examinations should always be to address the immediate health needs and future recovery of the victim, with the gathering of evidence towards potential criminal justice proceedings being an important but not the sole consideration.

“There are many dedicated and committed professionals working across Scotland who are providing quality service to victims, but there is much more to be done if we are to deliver a consistent service which minimises the distress and discomfort to victims who have experienced a sexual crime.”

The report highlighted that the current Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Police Scotland and NHS Scotland for the provision of healthcare and forensic medical services should be reviewed urgently.

There is also a need to provide greater clarity around the statutory responsibility for delivering these services.

The review identified ten key recommendations including the need to address the lack of availability of specialist services offered to victims of sexual crime in Glasgow. Although offering a good service to victims, HMICS found that the Archway service in Glasgow was not available for significant periods of time particularly overnight and at weekends, resulting in a ’two-tier’ service being delivered to victims of sexual crime with the alternative service delivered in a police station being described as ‘inadequate’.

The review found that Scotland was well behind the rest of the UK in respect of the availability of dedicated healthcare facilities which meet both the health care needs of victims and the necessary forensic requirements.

The is an urgent need for Police Scotland to work with NHS Boards to identify appropriate healthcare facilities for the forensic medical examination of victims of sexual crime, phasing out of police premises as soon as is practical.

The report also recognises the need to improve forensic cleaning standards in those police custody settings where suspected perpetrators of sexual abuse are examined.

The report also noted that suspects who were under 16 were being forensically examined and within police custody facilities and recommends that Police Scotland works with NHS Scotland to move these examinations into a more appropriate health care setting.

In response, the Scottish Government has announced the establishment of an implementation group, chaired by the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, to take forward improvements to the provision of health services for victims of rape and sexual assault.

In a statement, Rape Crisis Scotland welcomed the report and the announcement of the new implementation group. They said: “We have had significant concerns for some time about the response to the immediate needs of people in Scotland who have been raped or sexually assaulted. The least we should be able to offer someone who has just been through the trauma of rape is an examination by a female doctor in a suitable environment, with appropriate follow up to address their health and support needs.

“This is not currently available for most rape survivors in Scotland. We welcome the announcement of the new implementation group, and hope that it will lead to meaningful change in how we respond to people across Scotland who have been raped or sexually assaulted.

“To meet the needs of people who have survived this traumatic experience our response must be coordinated and comprehensive, and critically it must accommodate for the diversity of Scotland’s population and landscape, from the remote Scottish Islands to central Edinburgh or Glasgow.  This needs to be fully costed and resourced.

“No matter where someone lives in Scotland they should be able to expect a basic level of service. Almost four years after the approval of the minimum standards on the provision of forensic examinations, it’s time for them to become a reality.”