20% Rise in Reports of Historic Offences to Devon and Cornwall Police Following Savile Scandal

Express and Echo
December 31, 2013

http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/20-rise-reports-historic-offences-Devon-Cornwall/story-20380285-detail/story.html


High profile sexual abuses cases including that of disgraced DJ Jimmy Savile have led to a 20% rise in reports of historic offences to Devon and Cornwall Police.

Savile, now exposed as a predatory paedophile, is thought to have targeted hundreds of youngsters across the country in attacks spanning from 1955 to 2009.

Investigations have been launched into complaints that four youngsters were abused by the star during visits to the Royal Marines’ prestigious Commando Training Centre at Lympstone, in East Devon. Another attack is said to have taken place at a mental health facility in Exeter in 1970.

Intense publicity surrounding Savile’s case, and investigations into other well-known celebrities, have seen the number of historic reports of abuse rocket.

Devon and Cornwall Police said 40% of all sexual offences now reported to them were historic – with a 20% increase (or 157 crimes) in complaints so far this year.

Detective Superintendent Paul Northcott, head of public protection at Devon and Cornwall Police, said the figures were “really positive” and reflected victims’ growing confidence in being treated seriously.

“We deal with those historic reports in the same way as a case that may have occurred more recently,” Det Supt Northcott said.

“Such complaints come into one of our specialist officers who will then look at allocating specialist resources to support the individual concerned and conduct the investigation.

“For a lot of victims it is not actually about achieving a court outcome but access to support services to help them with the issues that have had to live with for many years.”

Det Supt Northcott said the culture in the police service had “changed completely” since historic abuses had occurred with specialist officers, trained in handling cases involving both children and adults, leading investigations and linking into support from other agencies.

The fact that people now had the confidence to come forward, he said, was a “really positive development”.

Mr Northcott added: “If there are people out there who have been abused, I would encourage them to come forward and talk to us even if they do not want to formally report it. For me personally, that’s very important.” Nationally, sex offences, including rape, increased by 9% in the year ending June 2013 – up from 51,252 to 55,812.

The Office for National Statistics said: “There is evidence to suggest that these increases are partly a result of the Operation Yewtree investigation, initiated in October 2012 and connected to the Jimmy Savile inquiry.

“Whilst some of these increases will be a direct consequence of the crimes reported as part of Operation Yewtree there is also evidence to suggest that there has been a wider “Yewtree effect” which has led to an increased willingness on the part of the victims to come forward and report historical sexual offences that are not directly connected to Yewtree.

“Additionally the publicity surrounding Operation Yewtree may have also encouraged more victims to come forward and report more recent abuse cases.”

Last December, Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed it had received six complaints of abuse committed by Savile, four of which are understood to have occurred at Lympstone.

The Exeter hospital, which no longer exists, is one of 13 NHS trusts and hospitals being investigated by the Department of Health over alleged sexual abuse by the former television and radio star.

Investigations were launched into activities at Broadmoor, Stoke Mandeville and Leeds General Infirmary following abuse revelations last year, followed by inquiries at 10 other trusts in January. An official report into the abuse is not expected until next summer.

Earlier this year, a damning report published by the Met Police and NSPCC said Savile’s offending spanned from 1955 to 2009.

The first record naming Savile in connection with a sexual abuse investigation was dated 1964 – but officers failed to act on the intelligence received.

Just five allegations and two pieces of intelligence were recorded against Savile during his lifetime, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) found.