National operating model – descriptive

Betsy
The National Operating Model for the Investigation of Rape and Serious Sexual Offenses is here to support and improve the way police forces across the country investigate these offenses and engage with victims.

Catherine
We want to change what officers do every day. This change needs to happen in every force, in the ranks of officers, staff and the organization of specialists such as crime management and domestic violence. Police and Crime Commissioners and third sector oversight should be monitored. The National Operating Model’s evaluation methods will help senior police leaders, Police and Crime Commissioners and the public evaluate improvements to investigations.

Betsy
Central to the work is the detective’s journey, which serves as a prescriptive guide to investigation. There is also a range in this model of guidance tools to help investigators keep the rights and needs of victims in mind.

Catherine
The National Operating Model was created out of our frustration that despite decades of research reviews and reform efforts, few rape suspects are prosecuted and victims continue to view the investigation process as brutal and unfair.

Betsy
Over the past two years, police services and stakeholders have worked with us to develop a common understanding of the problems with corporate policing that hinder better investigations.

Catherine
Our mantra is that investigations should be suspect-centred, victim-centred and context-driven.

Betsy
By using these three principles, we have seen improvements in the diagnostic results of many participating forces.

Catherine
Victim-centered, suspect-centered, and contextualized investigation represent a balanced and comprehensive approach to investigations. It consults the rights and interests of victims, focuses on the proper investigation of the suspect’s relevant offending behavior and considers the unique context of each case. These principles and materials are included in the National Operating Model to ensure that victims’ rights, needs and aspirations are not lost along the way.

Betsy
The victim-centered principle emphasizes the importance of keeping victims at the heart of the entire investigation process. This should lead to fairer investigations with less room for rape stories and biased investigations. Research to support this model shows that investigations often focus on investigating the victim’s credibility and make the victim feel that they are being investigated rather than the suspect.

Catherine
The suspect focus principle recognizes the importance of a thorough and fair investigation that gathers evidence and examines the actions of suspects. The National Operating Model supports officers to confidently develop knowledge about the nature of sexual assault and identify relevant lines of enquiry.

Betsy
The context-driven principle recognizes that wider contexts provide a key frame within which rape or sexual offenses are committed. By considering the broad social, cultural, and contextual factors surrounding each offense, investigators can better understand the dynamics of the arrest, its impact on the victim, and the suspect’s offending behavior when applying the legal standard.

Catherine
We created an evidence-based framework, a five-pillar framework that then evolved into six pillars based on a lot of existing research, survivor voices and what we learned from years of UK-wide and international research and, in Betty’s case, decades of working with them. And in the police. We then undertook the biggest research project to date into how police in England and Wales investigate rape.

Catherine
The National Operating Model is organized into five interrelated layers; The vision, the flight deck, the strategic layer, the operational layer and the foundationalists.

Betsy
The layers of the national model are intricately linked and are part of a comprehensive reform approach, and their successful implementation depends on coordination and coordination between them. All layers work together and are critical to the development of future investigations. Each cover serves a specific purpose in police service. Investigators, supervisors, and senior officers in charge of strategic oversight will find useful procedures and strategic guidance on what seems like a good thing. Community review boards can ask good questions in rape and sexual misconduct investigations. Police forces can draw on resources to improve officer safety and enhance their education and development. The Investigator Journey provides insight tools and guidance on RASSO investigations.