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The Evening Standard
January 14, 2004
Police sick of false sex complaints
Police are vowing to get tough with women who get
drunk on the weekend and then turn up at the station saying they have been
sexually assaulted.
Detective Sergeant Dave Clifford said the problem of false complaints --
particularly of sexual assault -- have become so frequent that police will
start prosecuting people who try to use a fictitious assault as a reason for
coming home late.
A 17-year-old woman is facing charges of making a false statement following
an alleged rape at the weekend. She will appear in Palmerston North District
Court on Friday.
"It would be close to one a week now and that's too much. It's got to
the stage now where we have to start locking them up," Mr Clifford said.
"There are all sorts of reasons for it. Sometimes they get into
situations where they have to lie their way out, like maybe they are late and
Dad is going to go nuts, or they've been jilted or even if they just want the
attention."
False complaints led to trouble all round, he said, forcing police to waste
time and energy. Also, there are repercussions for the complainant and any
supposed assailant.
"It's not unusual to have up to six staff investigating a complaint. We
put all our resources into major investigations and rape is a major
investigation.
"Also, if someone is pointed out to us as an alleged offender, there is
a stigma attached with that, too, because these things inevitably get out.
And if the complainant does become a bona fide rape victim, their history of
making false complaints can come back to haunt them. Police need some cynicism
to help elicit the truth, but deepening that cynicism does a disservice to
genuine victims."
Police have plenty of experience in taking statements and it soon becomes
apparent who is making it up. Usually it is younger women and alcohol is
almost invariably a factor.
"We need to drive home people's responsibilities: If you are just
looking for an excuse for being out late or being in a state, don't come to
us, because if you are making it up, we will pick up on it very
quickly."
Mr Clifford is also worried that some young women are leaving themselves open
to assault as they wander the city streets blind drunk at the weekends.
"I know that a woman should be able to walk the streets at any time,
even if they are tanked up, but that would only be possible in an ideal
world," he said.
"Some of them seem to think they are bullet proof, but even a sober
woman is no match for a man intent on assault. That's a simple fact of life.
It's a shame, but that is the reality."
Mr Clifford said police often pick up drunken women on the streets and take
them home.
Mr Clifford said that while Palmerston North is no better or worse than any
other city for sexual assaults, some people have a false sense of security.
"As I say, most people are sensible about these things, but I can only
guess at the number of women who don't report things to us because they can't
remember whether they gave their consent or not. And in that case it is not
consent, because you can't give consent when you are blind drunk, and that
makes it a more serious matter."
Steve Williams of the Safe City Group said that while the Safe City
hosts didn't encounter huge numbers of unaccompanied women at night, he is
aware it happens.
The group intervenes if it finds a person wandering the streets and unable to
look after herself.
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