RAPE investigations are being delayed because officers are being sent to staff football matches and festivals, a police inspectorate report found today. 

The watchdog looked at progress across nine forces under Operation Soteria – launched in 2021 as part of an effort to reform how police investigate sexual offences.

It found that in half of the forces inspected, officers were “routinely diverted” away from rape and serious sexual offences (Rasso) to cover recreational events – and that investigators then ended up cancelling appointments with victims, or delaying arrests.