A senior British police officer said in an interview published Tuesday that detectives were failing rape victims by not taking their claims seriously enough.
Speaking to The Guardian, Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner John Yates said police officers "must absolutely accept the victim's version of events unless there are very substantial reasons to do otherwise.""We've got to get a better understanding of how victims react: don't expect consistency, don't expect victims to report right away, and don't expect victims to scream and shout."
He continued: "There doesn't have to be such an appalling conviction rate. We can do something about it."
Yates said that police were "satisfied with mediocrity" in many areas of the country.
In Britain, less than six percent of rape cases that are reported to the police lead to a conviction.
Yates's comments echoed those of Vera Baird, Britain's solicitor-general, in January, who said Britain still has "much to do" in supporting victims of rape and securing higher rates of conviction in rape cases.
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