South Yorkshire Police’s dedicated adult rape and sexual assault unit is now a year old, and has achieved above and beyond what was expected.
Since the Apollo Unit was launched on 12 October 2009 the number of reported rapes has increased by more than 50%. The Force believes that this shows that victims have more confidence in reporting offences, knowing that they will be believed and offered the support they need.
The detection rate of people prosecuted for sexual offences has also increased, from 27.3% to 31.2%.
The Apollo Unit offers specialised support, which includes undertaking interviews, securing forensic evidence and working with investigators to provide the best possible support and carry out the most thorough investigations. The Unit is staffed seven days a week, 19 hours a day, with the other five hours covered by an on-call system.
Due to its success, the Apollo Unit is now a permanent fixture within South Yorkshire Police.
I spoke to Detective Superintendent Adrian Teague, the Force lead on rape investigation, about the Apollo Unit’s success and future aims. Listen to the interview here.
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